title: Assessing the presence of Wuchereria bancrofti in vector and human populations from urban communities in Conakry, Guinea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis was launched in 2000 with the goal of interrupting transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF) through multiple rounds of mass drug administration (MDA). In Guinea, there is evidence of ongoing LF transmission, but little is known about the most densely populated parts of the country, including the capital Conakry. In order to guide the LF control and elimination efforts, serological and entomological surveys were carried out to determine whether or not LF transmission occurs in Conakry.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of circulating filarial antigen (CFA) of Wuchereria bancrofti was assessed by an immuno-chromatography test (ICT) in people recruited from all five districts of Conakry. Mosquitoes were collected over a 1-year period, in 195 households in 15 communities. A proportion of mosquitoes were analysed for W. bancrofti, using dissection, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  CFA test revealed no infection in the 611 individuals examined. A total of 14,334 mosquitoes were collected; 14,135 Culex (98.6 %), 161 Anopheles (1.1 %) and a few other species. Out of 1,312 Culex spp. (9.3 %) and 51 An. gambiae (31.7 %) dissected, none was infected with any stage of the W. bancrofti parasite. However, the LAMP assay revealed that 1.8 % of An. gambiae and 0.31 % of Culex spp. were positive, while PCR determined respective prevalences of 0 % and 0.19 %.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study revealed the presence of W. bancrofti DNA in mosquitoes, despite the apparent absence of infection in the human population. Although MDA interventions are not recommended where the prevalence of ICT is below 1 %, the entomological results are suggestive of the circulation of the parasite in the population of Conakry. Therefore, rigorous surveillance is still warranted so that LF transmission in Conakry would be identified rapidly and adequate responses being implemented.
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.|Unité de Formation et de Recherche Science de la Nature, Université Nangui Abrogoua, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.|Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernard L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Kouassi
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Dziedzom K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre l'Onchocercose, le Trachome et les autres Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Conakry, Guinea.
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goepogui
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Narh
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre l'Onchocercose, le Trachome et les autres Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Conakry, Guinea.
authors.forename: Baldé S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Mamadou
authors.affiliation: Programme National de Lutte contre l'Onchocercose, le Trachome et les autres Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Conakry, Guinea.
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diakité
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Samuel K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Dadzie
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Boakye
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.|University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jürg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utzinger
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Moses J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bockarie
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. benjamin.koudou@lstmed.ac.uk.|Unité de Formation et de Recherche Science de la Nature, Université Nangui Abrogoua, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. benjamin.koudou@lstmed.ac.uk.|Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK. benjamin.koudou@lstmed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Benjamin G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Koudou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D009033:Culicidae / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D016701:Guinea / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D014505:Urban Population; D014958:Wuchereria bancrofti / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth