Extralymphatic disease due to bancroftian filariasis

Infection with Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, or B. timori not only affects the structure and function of lymphatic vessels but is also associated with extralymphatic pathology and disease. Because it is now possible to detect living adult worms by ultrasonography, much emphasis is placed on lymphatic pathology. However, the finding of renal damage in asymptomatic microfilaremic carriers has led to increased recognition of the importance of extralymphatic clinical manifestation in bancroftian filariasis. The authors present a number of clinical syndromes that may be manifestations of extralymphatic filarial disease and discuss possible mechanisms that cause these conditions. The main purpose of this paper is to raise the awareness of students and physicians of the prevalence and the importance of extralymphatic disease in bancroftian filariasis so that it is diagnosed and treated properly and also to alert for the need of additional research in this area.

Diagnostic utility of monoclonal antibodies raised against microfilarial excretory-secretory antigens in bancroftian filariasis.

Two monoclonal antibodies Wuchereria bancrofti Ε 33 and Wuchereria bancrofli Ε 34 raised against Wuchereria bancrofti microfilarial excretory-secretory antigens were studied for their diagnostic utility. Wuchereria bancrofti Ε 34 monoclonal antibody was found to be relatively specific and sensitive in detection of circulating filarial antigen. When Wuchereria bancrofti Ε 34 monoclonal antibody was used alongwith immunoglobulin G fraction of human filarial serum immunoglobulins in double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. 68% of microfilaraemic sera (26 out of 38). 12% of clinical filarial sera (3 out of 25), 13% endemic normal sera (2 out of 15) and none of the 20 non-endemic normal sera showed the presence of filarial antigen. The filarial antigen detected by Wuchereria bancrofti Ε 34 monoclonal antibody in double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay is possibly associated with the active stage (microfilaraemia) of infection.

Monoclonal antibodies against Wuchereria bancrofti microfilarial excretory-secretory antigens.

A battery of monoclonal antibodies were produced against Wuchereria bancrofti microfilarial excretory-secretory antigens and their specificity was studied using different filarial antigens. Among the 1116 wells plated out, 42 % of the wells developed hybrids and 5 % of the hybrids showed anti Wuchereria bancrofti microfilarial excretory-secretory antigens. Specificity studies on the antibodies produced from 63 cloned and expanded hybrids showed 10 clones which were specifically positive only to Wuchereria bancrofti microfilarial excretory-secretory antigens.