In order to clarify the genetic differences between Onchocerca dewittei japonica, the causative agent of zoonotic onchocerciasis in Japan and a related undescribed Onchocerca sp., both parasitizing wild boar (Sus scrofa) of which the infective larval stages are indistinguishable from each other, we compared the sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene region from...

The status of Dirofilaria immitis infection was assessed in pet dogs of Busan, Korea, and chemoprophylactic effects of microfilaricidal medication were evaluated. A total of 294 pet dogs older than 6 mo were examined, 217 of which had been maintained indoors, and 77 had been kept outdoors. The SnapR kit and direct microscopic examinations of the peripheral blood were used. The mean overall para...

Ivermectin treatment was evaluated for its efficacy and side reactions in sixty patients of Orissa with Bancroftian filarial infection and microfilaremia. Ivermectin was administered as a single oral dose at four dosage levels (20, 50, 100 and 200 micrograms/kg), and both microfilarial clearance and associated side reactions were monitored in a double blind fashion. Blood microfilariae were cle...

Filariae of animals, especially those of mammals, often infect humans and typically produce cryptic infections. These "zoonotic" infections have been reported from virtually all parts of the world including temperate zones. Infections may be symptomatic or not, and the parasites are found in surgical tissue biopsy specimens or, more rarely, are removed intact from superficial sites such as the ...

A cross-sectional population-based survey on the occurrence of lymphatic filariasis was carried out in the municipality of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. 7,650 individuals of both sexes were examined (from 1,416 households) of whom six tested positive for microfilaria according to the thick blood diagnostic test. The age of the individuals examined varied from 0 to 98 (a...

Microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis were recovered from an experimentally infected dog and inoculated intravenously into adult female BALB/c mice. Each mouse received 1 X 10(5) microfilariae. In one experiment mice were sublethally irradiated with gamma radiation 24 h prior to microfilarial inoculation; microfilariae were counted at 11.00 and 23.00 h 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days after inocula...

Heartworm prevention: Major factors of resistance First, heartworm preventives were designed and marketed at doses intended to prevent infection by killing third-stage and young fourth-stage larvae, not microfilariae. Thus, microfilariae may persist despite exposure to a macrocyclic lactone (ML); these drug-selected microfilariae can be transmitted between dogs by mosquitoes. This seems an unwi...

1Research and Training Centre on Vectors of Diseases, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. 2Infectious Diseases Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America. 3Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, University of Cairo, Giza, Egypt. ABSTRACT The elimination strategy for lymphatic filariasis aims at reducing blood micr...

The Global Program for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis calls for mass drug administration for endemic populations outside of sub-Saharan Africa with a single dose of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and albendazole (Alb) annually for 4-6 years. Single-dose DEC/Alb dramatically reduces blood microfilaria (MF) counts, but most treated subjects fail to completely clear MF after a single dose. A more e...