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Background  Filarial nematodes are arthropod-transmitted parasites of vertebrates that affect more than 150 million people around the world and remain a major public health problem throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Despite the importance of these nematodes, the current treatment strategies are not efficient in eliminating the parasite. The main strategy of control is based on chemotherapy with diethylcarbamazine, albendazole and ivermectin. In the 1970s, it was found that some filarids possess endosymbiotic bacteria that are important for the development, survival and infectivity of the nematodes. These bacteria belong to the genus  Wolbachia , which is a widespread and abundant intracellular symbiont in worms. Knowledge about the structure of the bacteria and their relationship with their nematode hosts may allow new perspectives for the control of filarial nematodes.    Methods  In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy combined with three-dimensional approaches to observe the structure of the endosymbiont of the filarial nematode  Litomosoides chagasfilhoi , an experimental model for the study of lymphatic filariasis. In addition, the bacterium was classified based on PCR analyses.    Results  The bacterium was mainly found in the hypodermis and in the female reproductive system in close association with host cell structures, such as the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum. Our ultrastructural data also showed that the symbiont envelope is composed of two membrane units and is enclosed in a cytoplasmic vacuole, the symbiosome. Molecular data revealed that the bacterium of  L. chagasfilhoi  shares 100% identity with the  Wolbachia  endosymbiont of  Litomosoides galizai .    Conclusions  Here we described ultrastructural aspects of the relationship of the  Wolbachia  with the filarial nematode  Litomosoides chagasfilhoi  and the findings lead us to consider this relationship as a mutualistic symbiosis.    Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0668-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification and ultrastructural characterization of the Wolbachia symbiont in Litomosoides chagasfilhoi