Ultrasonographic examination of Haitian children with lymphatic filariasis: a longitudinal assessment in the context of antifilarial drug treatment.
To assess the clinical findings associated with detection of adult Wuchereria bancrofti worms on ultrasound, 186 schoolchildren in a filariasis-endemic area of Haiti underwent physical and ultrasonographic examinations. The filaria dance sign (FDS) of adult W. bancrofti was detected in the inguinal and crural lymphatics of 28 (15%) children. FDS detection was more common in older children (P = 0.003) and in those with a history of inguinal lymph node inflammation (P = 0.002) or crural lymphadenopathy on physical exam (P = 0.01). Twenty-five FDS-positive children were reexamined after three annual cycles of mass treatment for lymphatic filariasis (LF). The total number of adult worm nests detected by ultrasound decreased from 29 to 4 (P </=0.0001). FDS and lymphangiectasia were detected in the intrascrotal (N = 3) and inguinal (N = 1) lymphatic vessels of three postpubescent boys. This study demonstrates clinical and subclinical findings of LF in FDS-positive children.
Fox
Leanne M
LM
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, USA. lfox@bu.edu
Furness
Bruce W
BW
Haser
Jennifer K
JK
Brissau
Jean-Marc
JM
Louis-Charles
Jacky
J
Wilson
Susan F
SF
Addiss
David G
DG
Lammie
Patrick J
PJ
Beach
Michael J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005369:Filaricides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006205:Haiti; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008208:Lymphatic System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D014463:Ultrasonography
D005369:Filaricides; D015766:Albendazole; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine