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Science 8 March 2002:
Vol. 295. no. 5561, pp. 1809 - 1811
DOI: 10.1126/science.295.5561.1809
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News of the Week

INFECTIOUS DISEASE:
New Culprit Emerges in River Blindness

Elizabeth Pennisi

For decades, people have blamed a parasitic nematode for a disease that has blinded at least 250,000 people now living in Africa and South America. But the real culprit--or at least an accomplice--may be the ubiquitous Wolbachia, bacteria that colonize many hundreds of species, including the nematode indicted in river blindness. On page 1892, researchers report that Wolbachia stimulate the severe immune system response that slowly robs people of their vision in areas where the disease is endemic.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Are Bacterial "Hitchhikers" the True Cause of River Blindness?.
(2002)
Journal Watch Infectious Diseases 2002, 1
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)