A diagnostic "patch test" for onchocerciasis using topical diethylcarbamazine.
There is great need for a simple, inexpensive, and sensitive diagnostic test for onchocerciasis, especially in endemic areas where trained personnel and laboratory facilities are limited. Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) was applied as a "patch test" to the skin of 45 patients with onchocerciasis in the Southern Sudan. 75 tests were done on these 45 patients, and 69 (92%) were positive. A positive reaction was a papular eruption beneath the patch. Histopathological studies of the skin beneath the patch revealed the microscopic features of a severe Mazzotti reaction, including degenerating microfilariae in the upper dermis and within epidermal eosinophilic abscesses.
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D010328:Patch Tests; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects
D004049:Diethylcarbamazine