title: Role of streptococcal infection in the acute pathology of lymphatic filariasis.
abstract: Growing evidence suggest that secondary bacterial, mainly streptococcal, infections contribute significantly to recurrent episodes of acute adenolymphangitis (ADL) of filarial origin. We examined the role of group A streptococci in the progression of lymphedema in Polynesian patients with filariasis-related ADL (22 cases) or chronic pathology (10 cases), or with erysipela (10 patients) and, as controls, in 20 healthy adults. Antistreptolysin O (ASLO) and anti-streptodornase B (ASDB) titers were systematically determined in parallel to parasitological and biochemical tests. ASLO and ASDB assays were positive in 100% of erysipela, 75% of filarial ADL as compared to 50% of chronic pathology and 39% of healthy controls. Interestingly, by opposition to ASLO titers which were not significantly different between the four groups, ASDB titers were higher in ADL (p = 0.019) and erysipela (p = 0.002) than in controls. These results support the hypothesis that recurrent streptococcal infections may have an important role in the pathogenesis of ADL in lymphatic filariasis.
authors.affiliation: Immunology Unit, Institut Territorial de Recherches Médicales Louis Malardé, Tahiti, French Polynesia. esterre@malarde.pf
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Esterre
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Plichart
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Huin-Blondey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000276:immunology; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000276:immunology; D013301:Streptolysins / Q000276:immunology; D014958:Wuchereria bancrofti
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D013301:Streptolysins; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I