31.10.2025
New hope for treating river blindness
International study tests potential breakthrough with well-known antibiotic
An international research group – including the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) – has launched a clinical study investigating a new treatment approach for river blindness (onchocerciasis), a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people in Africa. The study focuses on a well-known drug: fusidic acid, an antibiotic that has been used to treat bacterial infections. The aim is now to test whether it can also be used as a short-term and safe treatment for river blindness. The goal is to kill the parasitic worm that causes the disease with just seven days of treatment.
The FAME study (Fusidic Acid Macrofilaricide Evaluation) is being conducted by the University of Bonn, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the University of Buea (Cameroon), and other partners. It is funded with approximately £4.9 million from the European Development Cooperation Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). In Germany, scientific leadership is in the hands of Prof. Achim Hörauf, Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology at the UKB, and Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz, group leader at the same institute.
A disease with dramatic consequences
River blindness is an infectious disease caused by nematodes and transmitted by black fly bites. It currently affects around 21 million people, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, and can lead to blindness, severe skin diseases, and neurological symptoms. Entire regions are severely restricted in their economic and social development as a result.
“The disease is not only a medical challenge—it robs the affected communities of education, labor, and quality of life,” says Prof. Hörauf. “With the FAME study, we want to show that it is possible to combat the pathogens with a simpler and shorter treatment approach – based on our many years of research.”
The FAME study (Fusidic Acid Macrofilaricide Evaluation) is being conducted by the University of Bonn, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the University of Buea (Cameroon), and other partners. It is funded with approximately £4.9 million from the European Development Cooperation Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). In Germany, scientific leadership is in the hands of Prof. Achim Hörauf, Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology at the UKB, and Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz, group leader at the same institute.
A disease with dramatic consequences
River blindness is an infectious disease caused by nematodes and transmitted by black fly bites. It currently affects around 21 million people, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, and can lead to blindness, severe skin diseases, and neurological symptoms. Entire regions are severely restricted in their economic and social development as a result.
“The disease is not only a medical challenge—it robs the affected communities of education, labor, and quality of life,” says Prof. Hörauf. “With the FAME study, we want to show that it is possible to combat the pathogens with a simpler and shorter treatment approach – based on our many years of research.”
