Reliable and frequent detection of adult Wuchereria bancrofti in Ghanaian women by ultrasonography.
Detection of adult Wuchereria bancrofti by ultrasonography of the scrotal region in men is a suitable diagnostic tool for lymphatic filariasis, whereas there are only a few case reports of adult filariae observed by ultrasonography in women. We examined 35 microfilaraemic women ultrasonographically in sites of the body suspected as locations for worm nests. In 15 women the 'filaria dance sign' (FDS) was detected in various locations, some being novel, such as adult worms within lymphatic vessels between muscular fibres of the thighs. The surprisingly high number of worm nests detectable in microfilaraemic women recommends ultrasonography for diagnosis and treatment efficacy monitoring of female patients infected with W. bancrofti.
Institute of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany. mand@parasit.meb.uni-bonn.de
Sabine
S
Mand
Alex
A
Debrah
Linda
L
Batsa
Ohene
O
Adjei
Achim
A
Hoerauf
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed / Q000379:methods; D014958:Wuchereria bancrofti / Q000302:isolation & purification*