Journal Information
Vol. 14. Issue 2.
Pages 125-128 (March - April 2010)
Share
Share
Download PDF
More article options
Vol. 14. Issue 2.
Pages 125-128 (March - April 2010)
Original article
Open Access
Assessment of family and neighbors of an individual infected with Wuchereria bancrofti from a non-endemic area in the city of Maceió, Brazil
Visits
2844
Anderson B. Leite, Ana R.V. de Lima, Renata B. Leite, Rafael V. Santos, Johnathan E.L. Gonçalves, Eliana M.M. Rocha, Gilberto Fontes
Corresponding author
gilberto.fontes@pq.cnpq.br

Correspondence to: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas/ICBS – UFAL Praça Afrânio Jorge, s/n – Prado Maceió – AL – Brazil CEP: 57010-020. Phone: 55 82 32141704, Fax: 55 82 32212501.
Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Universidade Federal de Alagoas
This item has received

Under a Creative Commons license
Article information
Abstract

The family and neighbors of a patient infected with W. bancrofti microfilariae were assessed aiming to evaluate the occurrence of cases of lymphatic filariasis in a non-endemic area in the city of Maceió, in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. The patient had previously lived in an endemic focus; however, he has been living in an area where the parasite has never been detected for the past ten years. Female ingurgitated Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes captured in the houses of the microfilaremic individual and of his neighbors in the non-endemic region were also examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The thick blood smear examination, blood membrane filtration, and rapid immunochromatography (antigen search) revealed no infected individuals in the family of the microfilaremic individual. All 334 neighbors undergoing the thick blood smear examination were negative for W. bancrofti microfilariae. In 478 ingurgitated C. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes examined by PCR, no W. bancrofti DNA was detected. The microfilaremic individual had a microfilaremia considered very low according to WHO standards (4 microfilariae/mL of blood). As the vectorial infection depends on microfilaremia, the patient's low parasite load did not determine the contamination of other individuals in the area. Our data have shown that the long-term residence of the microfilaremic individual in the non-endemic region was not sufficient to start a new transmission focus of lymphatic filariasis in Maceió.

Keywords:
Wuchereria bancrofti
lymphatic filariasis
epidemiology
Culex
Full text is only aviable in PDF
References
[1.]
World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Report 1995: Bridging the Gaps.
World Health Organization, (1995),
[2.]
World Health Organization (WHO).
Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis.
Progress report on mass drug administrations in 2005, 81 (2006), pp. 221-232
[3.]
G. Fontes, R.F. Braun, H. Fraiha-Neto, et al.
Filariose linfática em Belém, Estado do Pará, Norte do Brasil e a perspectiva de eliminação.
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 38 (2005), pp. 131-136
[4.]
E.M.M. Rocha, G. Fontes, A.C. Brito, et al.
Filariose bancroftiana em áreas urbanas do Estado de Alagoas, nordeste do Brasil: estudo em população geral.
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 33 (2000), pp. 545-551
[5.]
A.R.V. Lima, A.B. Leite, H.C.S. Barros, et al.
Perspectiva de eliminação da Filariose linfática em Maceió-Alagoas.
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 40 (2007), pp. 168
[6.]
G. Fontes, E.M.M. Rocha, A.C. Brito, et al.
The microfilarial periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti in northeastern Brazil.
Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 94 (2000), pp. 373-379
[7.]
P. Chularerk, R.S. Desowitz.
A simplified membrane filtration technique for the diagnosis of microfilaremia.
Journal of Parasitology, 56 (1970), pp. 623-624
[8.]
D.D. Chadee, S.A. Williams, E.A. Ottesen.
Xenomonitoring of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes as a guide for detecting the presence or absence of lymphatic filariasis: a preliminary protocol for mosquito sampling.
Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 96 (2002), pp. S47-S53
[9.]
M. Zhong, J. McCarthy, L. Bierwert, et al.
A polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of the parasite Wuchereria bancrofti in human blood samples.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 54 (1996), pp. 357-363
[10.]
V. Vasuki, S.L. Hoti, C. Sadanandane, P. Jambulingam.
A simple and rapid DNA extraction method for tha vector mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus by Ssp I PCR asay.
Acta tropica, 86 (2003), pp. 109-114
[11.]
World Health Organization (WHO).
Filariasis linfática: Cuarto informe del Comité de Expertos de la OMS en Filariasis.
Série de Informes Técnicos, (1984), pp. 121
[12.]
Z. Medeiros, A. Alves, J.A. Brito, et al.
The present situation regarding lymphatic filariasis in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil.
Revista Instituto Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 48 (2006), pp. 263-267
[13.]
G. Fontes, E.M.M. Rocha, E.R. Lopes, C.M.F. Antunes.
Prevalência de microfilarêmicos por Wuchereria bancrofti entre famílias de parasitados e seus vizinhos em área endêmica (Maceió-AL).
Abstracts: XV Congresso Brasileiro de Parasitologia,
[14.]
Medeiros Z. Contribuição ao estudo epidemiológico da Filariose na região metropolitana do Recife [Tese de Doutorado]. Recife: Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, 1998.
[15.]
A.C. Brito, G. Fontes, P. Williams, E.M.M. Rocha.
Bancroftian filariasis in Maceió, State of Alagoas, Brazil: observations on Culex quinquefasciatus after blood feeding on individuals with different densities of microfilariae in the peripheral blood stream.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 58 (1998), pp. 489-494
[16.]
C. Witt, E.A. Ottesen.
Lymphatic filariasis: an infection of childhood.
Tropical Medicine and International Health, 6 (2001), pp. 582-606
[17.]
P.K. Das, P. Vanamail.
Probability risk transmission matrix as a decision tool for assessing methods of transmission interruption of Wuchereria bancrofti infection.
Epidemiololgy and Infection, 20 (2007), pp. 1-5
Copyright © 2010. Elsevier Editora Ltda.. All rights reserved
Download PDF
The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
Article options
Tools