Improvement and Application of a Polymerase Chain Reaction System for Detection of Wuchereria bancrofti in Culex quinquefasciatus and Human Blood Samples

Abstract

Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori are mosquito-transmitted nematodes that cause lymphatic filariasis in humans.Lymphatic filariasis is endemic over a wide geographic area covering Africa, Central and South America, Asia and Oceania.Recent surveys estimated that at least 120 millions are infected in the world, more than 90% harbouring W. bancrofti (WHO 1994 TDR/CTD/FIL/Penang 1994/1, EA Ottensen et al. 1995 Parasitol Today 11: 129-31).The traditional methods of detection of filarial parasites in humans (blood films or membrane filtration) or in mosquitoes (dissection and microscopic examination) are labour intensive, time-consuming and make species identification difficult.