Test for the presence of microfilariae in peripheral blood

The test is for diagnostics of chronic parasitic diseases caused by nematodes - filariae, e.g. Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Onchocerca volvulus and Mansonella ozzardi. Filariasis occurs in tropical and subtropical countries. Depending on the localization of symptoms, the disease may be cutaneous, lymphatic or in body cavities. The first two groups are clinically most important. In this disease, mature forms of nematodes (filariae) parasitize in the tissues, and the larvae (microfilariae) circulate in the blood of the infected person. Filariasis diagnosis involves microscopic examination of thick blood smear and detection of the presence of microfilariae. Blood should be collected at the time when microfilariae are most likely to be detected, which is in most cases at night. The disease occurs in tropical countries in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Infection occurs during travel through endemic areas. The disease is transmitted by female Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes.