title: Circulating filarial antigen detection in brugian filariasis.
abstract: Human lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a major cause of disability globally. The success of global elimination programmes for LF depends upon effectiveness of tools for diagnosis and treatment. In this study on stage-specific antigen detection in brugian filariasis, L3, adult worm (AW) and microfilarial antigenaemia were detected in around 90-95% of microfilariae carriers (MF group), 50-70% of adenolymphangitis (ADL) patients, 10-25% of chronic pathology (CP) patients and 10-15% of endemic normal (EN) controls. The sensitivity of the circulating filarial antigen (CFA) detection in serum samples from MF group was up to 95%. In sera from ADL patients, unexpectedly, less antigen reactivity was observed. In CP group all the CFA positive individuals were from CP grade I and II only and none from grade III or IV, suggesting that with chronicity the AWs lose fecundity and start to disintegrate and die. Amongst EN subject, 10-15% had CFA indicating that few of them harbour filarial AWs, thus they might not be truly immune as has been conventionally believed. The specificity for antigen detection was 100% when tested with sera from various other protozoan and non-filarial helminthic infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology,Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,India.
authors.forename: Praveen Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology,Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,India.
authors.forename: Ramesh Chander
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology,Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,India.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malla
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology,Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,India.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mewara
authors.affiliation: Division of Parasitology,Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI),Lucknow,India.
authors.forename: Shailja Misra
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine,Filariasis Chemotherapy Unit,TD Medical College Hospital,Alleppey,Kerala,India.
authors.forename: Ranganatha Krishna
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Shenoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology,Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,India.
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sehgal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D014958:Wuchereria bancrofti / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine
keywords: Brugian filariasis; circulating filarial antigen (CFA); pre- and post-treatment kinetics; stage-specific antigenaemia