Swart, ZoradaDuong, Tuan A.Wingfield, Brenda D.Postma, AlissaSlippers, Bernard2022-08-112022Swart, Z., Duong, T.A., Wingfield, B.D. et al. 2022, 'The relevance of studying insect–nematode interactions for human disease', Pathogens and Global Health, vol. 116, no. 3, pp. 140-145, doi : 10.1080/20477724.2021.1996796.2047-7724 (print)2047-7732 (online)10.1080/20477724.2021.1996796https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86761Vertebrate-parasitic nematodes cause debilitating, chronic infections in millions of people worldwide. The burden of these so-called ‘neglected tropical diseases’ is often carried by poorer socioeconomic communities in part because research on parasitic nematodes and their vertebrate hosts is challenging and costly. However, complex biological and pathological processes can be modeled in simpler organisms. Here, we consider how insight into the interactions between entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), their insect hosts and bacterial symbionts may reveal novel treatment targets for parasitic nematode infections. We argue that a combination of approaches that target nematodes, as well as the interaction of pathogens with insect vectors and bacterial symbionts, offer potentially effective, but underexplored opportunities.en© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an electronic version of an article published in Pathogens and Global Health, vol. 116, no. 3, pp. 140-145 , 2022. doi : 10.1080/20477724.2021.1996796. Pathogens and Global Health is available online at : https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/YPGH.Vertebrate-parasitic nematodesEntomopathogenic nematodesInter-species interactionsAlternative treatment optionsVector controlModel organismsPostprint Article