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Misidentification of Onchocerca volvulus as guinea worm
M L Eberhard1, G Melemoko, A K Zee
1Division of Parasitic Diseases, F13, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, USA. mle1@cdc.gov
Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology
|January 11, 2002
Summary
The Central African Republic may not have endemic guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) infections, as investigations found no cases. Instead, three cases of Onchocerca volvulus were misdiagnosed as guinea worm disease.
Area of Science:
- Medical Entomology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Ascertaining the status of human infection with guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been challenging over the past decade.
- Uncertainty exists regarding indigenous guinea worm transmission within the CAR and potential importation from neighboring regions.
Observation:
- An investigation was conducted in the CAR during July-August 2000 to assess indigenous guinea worm transmission.
- No confirmed cases of dracunculiasis were identified during the investigation.
Findings:
- Three cases of human infection with Onchocerca volvulus were detected and initially misidentified as dracunculiasis.
- The study describes the unusual clinical presentation of skin blisters and the extraction of an intact female Onchocerca volvulus.
Implications:
- The misdiagnosis of onchocerciasis as dracunculiasis complicates the assessment of guinea worm disease in the CAR.
- The presence of endemic guinea worm transmission in the CAR remains uncertain due to diagnostic confusion.
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