Diagnosis and treatment of lymphatic filariasis

The lymphatic filariases, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori, infect nearly 100 million people throughout the tropics, but mainly in Africa and southeast Asia. Over 900 million people live in endemic, areas at risk to the infection. The filarial parasites reproduce slowly, whereas their mosquito vectors are quickly-reproducing opportunists. Thus, although vector control can reduce the risk of transmission, the parasite itself would seem a more vulnerable target for prolonged attack. In this article, Felix Partono discusses the clinical diagnosis of f lariasis and argues that the disease can be effectively controlled by attacking the parasites in infected communities, using diethyl-carbamazine (DEC) as the drug of choice.