SynthesisClinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America2015
Therapeutic efficacy and macrofilaricidal activity of doxycycline for the treatment of river blindness.
Synthesis in Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 111 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing the efficacy of high-dose rifampicin plus albendazole against onchocerciasis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of Intensified Hygiene Measures with or without the Addition of Doxycycline in the Management of Filarial Lymphedema: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial in Tanzania.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Trial
- Macrofilaricidal Efficacy of Repeated Doses of Ivermectin for the Treatment of River Blindness.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2017Trial
- Comparison of Doxycycline, Minocycline, Doxycycline plus Albendazole and Albendazole Alone in Their Efficacy against Onchocerciasis in a Randomized, Open-Label, Pilot Trial.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Trial
- Doxycycline Leads to Sterility and Enhanced Killing of Female Onchocerca volvulus Worms in an Area With Persistent Microfilaridermia After Repeated Ivermectin Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2015Trial
- Comparison of 6-Week Doxycycline vs 6-Week Rifampicin or 3 Weeks of Doxycycline Plus Rifampicin in the Treatment of Onchocerciasis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Phase 2 Trial.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Nodding Syndrome: Shifting the Focus from Cause to Treatment.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2026Review
- Lymphatic filariasis remained silent until presentation with huge abdominal mass mimicking malignancy: a case report.ASM case reports · 2025Article
- Model-Based Geostatistical Mapping of the Prevalence of Onchocerca volvulus in Cameroon between 1971 and 2020.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- A Phase-I pharmacokinetic, safety and food-effect study on flubentylosin, a novel analog of Tylosin-A having potent anti-Wolbachia and antifilarial activity.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Acceptability of test and treat with doxycycline against Onchocerciasis in an area of persistent transmission in Massangam Health District, Cameroon.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- The pipeline for drugs for control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases: 1. Anti-infective drugs for regulatory registration.Parasites & vectors · 2023Review
- Onchocerciasis drug development: from preclinical models to humans.Parasitology research · 2021Review
- Multimodal biomarker discovery for active Onchocerca volvulus infection.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
- Supporting Drug Development for Neglected Tropical Diseases Using Mathematical Modeling.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2021Article
- Development of emodepside as a possible adulticidal treatment for human onchocerciasis-The fruit of a successful industrial-academic collaboration.PLoS pathogens · 2021Review
- Emodepside targets SLO-1 channels of Onchocerca ochengi and induces broad anthelmintic effects in a bovine model of onchocerciasis.PLoS pathogens · 2021Article
- Wolbachia: endosymbiont of onchocercid nematodes and their vectors.Parasites & vectors · 2021Review
- The Eagle effect in the Wolbachia-worm symbiosis.Parasites & vectors · 2021Article
- The Mbam drainage system and onchocerciasis transmission post ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA) campaign, Cameroon.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOnchocerca volvulus and lymphatic filariae, causing river blindness and elephantiasis, depend on endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria for growth, development, fertility, and survival. Clinical trials have shown that doxycycline treatment eliminates Wolbachia, causing long-term sterilization of adult female filariae and effecting potent macrofilaricidal activity. The continual reinfection by drug-naive worms that occurs in these trial settings dilutes observable anti-Wolbachia and antifilarial effects, making it difficult to estimate therapeutic efficacy and compare different doxycycline regimens, evaluated at different times after treatment.
methodsA meta-analytical modeling framework is developed to link all usable data collected from clinical trials measuring the Wolbachia status and viability of individual female adult worms collected at various times after treatment with 4, 5, or 6 weeks of daily 100 or 200 mg oral doxycycline. The framework is used to estimate efficacy parameters that are not directly measurable as trial outcomes.
resultsThe estimated efficacy of doxycycline (the maximum proportional reduction in the percentage of adult female O. volvulus positive for Wolbachia) is 91%-94% on average, irrespective of the treatment regimen. Efficacy is >95% in the majority of trial participants. The life span of Wolbachia-depleted worms is reduced by 70%-80%, from approximately 10 years to 2-3 years.
conclusionsThe efficacy parameters are pertinent to the prospects of using doxycycline on a "test and treat" basis for onchocerciasis control and confirm doxycycline as a potent macrofilaricidal therapy. The modeling approach is more generally relevant to the design and evaluation of clinical trials for antifilarial drugs conducted in endemic settings.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.