Assessing the Presence of Wuchereria Bancrofti in Vector and Human Populations from Urban Communities in Conakry, Guinea

Overview

Journal Parasit Vectors

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Parasitology
Tropical Medicine

Date 2015 Sep 28

PMID 26410739

Citations 22

Authors

Bernard L Kouassi

Dziedzom K de Souza

Andre Goepogui

Charles A Narh

Sandra A King

Balde S Mamadou

Lamia Diakite

Samuel K Dadzie

Daniel A Boakye

Jurg Utzinger

Moses J Bockarie

Benjamin G Koudou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

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.

Citing Articles

The impact of mosquito sampling strategies on molecular xenomonitoring prevalence for filariasis: a systematic review.

Reimer L, Pryce J Bull World Health Organ. 2024; 102(3):204-215.

PMID: 38420575 PMC: 10898278. DOI: 10.2471/BLT.23.290424.

Postintervention Immunological and Entomological Survey of Lymphatic Filariasis in the City of Olinda, Brazil, 2015-2016.

Ramesh A, Oliveira P, Cameron M, Castanha P, Walker T, Lenhart A Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024; 110(3):470-482.

PMID: 38350158 PMC: 10919178. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0174.

Neglected tropical diseases in Republic of Guinea: disease endemicity, case burden and the road towards the 2030 target.

Cherif M, Keita M, Dahal P, Guilavogui T, Beavogui A, Diassy L Int Health. 2023; 15(5):490-504.

PMID: 37232124 PMC: 10472893. DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihad036.

Presence of a cryptic Onchocerca species in black flies of northern California, USA.

Kulpa M, Nelson K, Morales A, Ryan B, Koschik M, Scott J Parasit Vectors. 2021; 14(1):478.

PMID: 34526130 PMC: 8444403. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04990-1.

Evaluating the Diagnostic Test Accuracy of Molecular Xenomonitoring Methods for Characterizing Community Burden of Lymphatic Filariasis.

Pryce J, Reimer L Clin Infect Dis. 2021; 72(Suppl 3):S203-S209.

PMID: 33906238 PMC: 8201559. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab197.

References

Boakye D, Baidoo H, Glah E, Brown C, Appawu M, Wilson M . Monitoring lymphatic filariasis interventions: Adult mosquito sampling, and improved PCR - based pool screening method for Wuchereria bancrofti infection in Anopheles mosquitoes. Filaria J. 2007; 6:13. PMC: 2235849. DOI: 10.1186/1475-2883-6-13. View

Pani S, Hoti S, Elango A, Yuvaraj J, Lall R, Ramaiah K . Evaluation of the ICT whole blood antigen card test to detect infection due to nocturnally periodic Wuchereria bancrofti in South India. Trop Med Int Health. 2000; 5(5):359-63. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2000.00559.x. View

Shriram A, Krishnamoorthy K, Sehgal S . Transmission dynamics of diurnally subperiodic lymphatic filariasis transmitted by Ochlerotatus (Finlaya) niveus in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Indian J Med Res. 2008; 127(1):37-43. View

Richards F, Eigege A, Miri E, Kal A, Umaru J, Pam D . Epidemiological and entomological evaluations after six years or more of mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis elimination in Nigeria. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011; 5(10):e1346. PMC: 3191131. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001346. View

Notomi T, Okayama H, Masubuchi H, Yonekawa T, Watanabe K, Amino N . Loop-mediated isothermal amplification of DNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000; 28(12):E63. PMC: 102748. DOI: 10.1093/nar/28.12.e63. View

Ramaiah K . Population migration: implications for lymphatic filariasis elimination programmes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013; 7(3):e2079. PMC: 3610607. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002079. View

Takagi H, Itoh M, Islam M, Razzaque A, Ekram A, Hashighuchi Y . Sensitive, specific, and rapid detection of Leishmania donovani DNA by loop-mediated isothermal amplification. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2009; 81(4):578-82. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2009.09-0145. View

Kwansa-Bentum B, Aboagye-Antwi F, Otchere J, Wilson M, Boakye D . Implications of low-density microfilariae carriers in Anopheles transmission areas: molecular forms of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus populations in perspective. Parasit Vectors. 2014; 7:157. PMC: 3974918. DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-157. View

Boakye D, Wilson M, Appawu M, Gyapong J . Vector competence, for Wuchereria bancrofti, of the Anopheles populations in the Bongo district of Ghana. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2004; 98(5):501-8. DOI: 10.1179/000349804225003514. View

10.

Katholi C, Unnasch T . Important experimental parameters for determining infection rates in arthropod vectors using pool screening approaches. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2006; 74(5):779-85. View

11.

McMAHON J, Marshall T, VAUGHAN J, Abaru D . Bancroftian filariasis: a comparison of microfilariae counting techniques using counting chamber, standard slide and membrane (nuclepore) filtration. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1979; 73(5):457-64. DOI: 10.1080/00034983.1979.11687285. View

12.

Plichart C, Sechan Y, Davies N, Legrand A . PCR and dissection as tools to monitor filarial infection of Aedes polynesiensis mosquitoes in French Polynesia. Filaria J. 2006; 5:2. PMC: 1403774. DOI: 10.1186/1475-2883-5-2. View

13.

Takagi H, Itoh M, Kasai S, Yahathugoda T, Weerasooriya M, Kimura E . Development of loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for detecting Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in human blood and vector mosquitoes. Parasitol Int. 2011; 60(4):493-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2011.08.018. View

14.

Ramzy R, Farid H, Kamal I, Ibrahim G, Morsy Z, Faris R . A polymerase chain reaction-based assay for detection of Wuchereria bancrofti in human blood and Culex pipiens. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1997; 91(2):156-60. DOI: 10.1016/s0035-9203(97)90205-4. View

15.

Farid H, Kamal S, Weil G, Adham F, Ramzy R . Filariasis elimination in Egypt: impact of low microfilaraemics as sources of infection for mosquitoes. East Mediterr Health J. 2005; 9(4):863-72. View

16.

Kaewphinit T, Arunrut N, Kiatpathomchai W, Santiwatanakul S, Jaratsing P, Chansiri K . Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by using loop-mediated isothermal amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick in clinical samples. Biomed Res Int. 2013; 2013:926230. PMC: 3603199. DOI: 10.1155/2013/926230. View

17.

Laney S, Ramzy R, Helmy H, Farid H, Ashour A, Weil G . Detection of Wuchereria bancrofti L3 larvae in mosquitoes: a reverse transcriptase PCR assay evaluating infection and infectivity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010; 4(2):e602. PMC: 2821903. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000602. View

18.

Simonsen P, Mwakitalu M . Urban lymphatic filariasis. Parasitol Res. 2012; 112(1):35-44. PMC: 3536942. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-012-3226-x. View

19.

de Souza D, Koudou B, Bolay F, Boakye D, Bockarie M . Filling the gap 115 years after Ronald Ross: the distribution of the Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae s.s from Freetown and Monrovia, West Africa. PLoS One. 2013; 8(5):e64939. PMC: 3669227. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064939. View

20.

de Souza D, Sesay S, Moore M, Ansumana R, Narh C, Kollie K . No evidence for lymphatic filariasis transmission in big cities affected by conflict related rural-urban migration in Sierra Leone and Liberia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014; 8(2):e2700. PMC: 3916318. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002700. View