Loa loa and Mansonella perstans infections in Ijebu north, western Nigeria: a parasitological study.

The prevalence and intensity of Loa loa and Mansonella perstans were studied in three villages of the Ijebu north area in Ogun State, western Nigeria. Blood samples were collected by finger-pricking from 373 (181 males, 192 females) subjects with an age range of 4 to 55 years. The blood samples were examined microscopically for the presence of microfilariae (mf). L. loa and M. perstans were present in the blood samples in 39 (10.5%) and 12 (3.2%) of the subjects, respectively. Neither of the infections were found to be sex-dependent. The geometric mean of the L. loa intensity was 1.8 mf per 50 microl of blood, while that of M. perstans was 1.5 mf per 50 microl. The prevalence of mixed infections of both L. loa and M. perstans was 1.0%.