Therapeutic apheresis using a mononuclear cell program to lower the microfilaria burden of a 23-year-old African woman with loiasis.
Apheresis has been used to lower the parasite burden of patients with Loa loa infection, but there are no reports regarding how to do this using modern, continuous flow equipment with a currently available program. A 23-year-old female refugee from Cameroon with known Loa loa infection presented to our Emergency Department with acute mental status changes and a picture of encephalitis. Lumbar puncture revealed Loa loa in her cerebrospinal fluid. Her midday blood microfilaria count was 15,000/mL. Because treatment with diethylcarbamazine was under consideration, we were asked to lower her parasite burden using apheresis. One single 2-total blood volume apheresis using the mononuclear cell program (without hydroxyethyl starch) on a COBE®Spectra Apheresis System decreased the microfilarial load from 15,000/mL to 10,666/mL, a 29% reduction. J. Clin. Apheresis 32:200-202, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Division of Transfusion Medicine, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Yong
Y
Zhao
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Anesthesiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Brian
B
Alexander
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Division of Transfusion Medicine, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Jeffrey A
JA
Bailey
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Linda
L
Welch
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Mindy
M
Greene
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Michelle
M
Vauthrin
Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Division of Laboratory Medicine (Microbiology), UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Michael
M
Mitchell
Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis Service, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Division of Transfusion Medicine, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.|Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.
Robert
R
Weinstein
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002163:Cameroon; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology; D008118:Loiasis / Q000628:therapy*; D008842:Microfilariae / Q000469:parasitology; D013129:Spinal Puncture; D055815:Young Adult
Loa loa; blood parasite; continuous flow; cytapheresis