BACKGROUND Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) has been used for many years in the treatment of human lymphatic filariasis. Its mode of action is not well understood, but it is known to interact with the arachidonic acid pathway. Here we have investigated the contribution of the nitric oxide and cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways to the activity of DEC against B. malayi microfilariae in mice. METHODS B. mala...

The usual pattern of onchocercal dermatitis in Africans and Guatemalans is a generalized and symmetrical dermatitis located on legs, arms and trunk. These patients appear to be anergic, with depressed immune responses and numerous microfilariae in the skin. In contrast, "sowda" is an unusual type of onchocercal dermatitis found in Yemenites and in a minority of African patients. Here the dermat...

Clearance of microfilariae from the circulation of hamsters infected with Dipetalonema viteae was demonstrated following passive transfer of serum obtained from hyperinfected hamsters. The exclusion fraction after gel filtration of this serum on Sephacryl S 200 also cleared microfilariae whereas the other fractions did not. There was no clearance with serum taken during the pre-patent, patent o...

Dirofilaria immitis was diagnosed in 4 of 13 indigenous dogs from the Province of Zambézia, Mozambique, by acid phosphatase staining of microfilariae. The finding reconfirms the occurrence of the parasite in Mozambique after 3 decades and emphasises the need for extensive surveys. Additionally, in 1 of the infected dogs, microfilariae of Dipetalonema reconditum were detected, which is the 1st r...

The course of a primary infection with Dipetalonema viteae was studied in one randomly bred and in one inbred strain of hamster. Worm recovery and the duration and intensity of the microfilaraemia were analyzed and related to the humoral immune response of the host by using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test on frozen sections of female worms, on eggs and on intact microfilariae. The ...

Methods were studied for the cryopreservation of microfilariae of periodic Brugia malayi. RPMI-1640 tissue culture medium containing 6% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 15% newborn calf serum was used as cryoprotectant. Samples were frozen slowly in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen prior to emersion in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C). The freezing rate was -0.5 to -1.0 degrees C per minute, mic...

Effects of ivermectin and moxidectin were compared on two filarial species: Monanema martini which presents dermal microfilariae and induces Onchocerca-like lesions in its natural murid host Lemniscomys striatus, and Litomosoides sigmodontis (= L. carinii). M. martini microfilariae showed an unusual resistance to ivermectin, in vitro and in vivo; moxidectin was no more efficient. However, the t...

Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected parasitic disease that leading cause of long-term disability. Information obtained from genome sequencing filarial worm can help us identify systems in the are likely to be useful for novel drug design. Brugia ( B .) malayi still only lymphatic-dwelling parasite with nearly complete, fully annotated, and published genome. However, most previous studies were b...

The relative suitability of two colonies established from local strains of Aedes albopictus (Wilmington and Rockingham) and a local (Raleigh) and laboratory (Liverpool) strain of Ae. aegypti to support development of Dirofilaria immitis was investigated. High levels of mortality occurred 1-2 days after mosquitoes fed on a heavily microfilaremic (28,617 microfilariae/ml) dog but not when mosquit...