Occurrence of Mansonella ozzardi diagnosed using a polycarbonate membrane in a riverside population of Lábrea in the Western Brazilian Amazon

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Sergio de Almeida Basano, Jansen Fernandes Medeiros, Gilberto Fontes, Gabriel de Deus Vieira, Juliana Souza de Almeida Aranha Camargo, Luana Janaína Souza Vera, Ricardo de Godoi Mattos Ferreira, Luís Marcelo Aranha Camargo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2016
• Subjects: Mansonelliasis; Mansonella ozzardi; Brazilian Amazon; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0142-2015; https://doaj.org/article/8b6d85ab61e94acd90b2da2a120b8263

Abstract: INTRODUCTION Mansonella ozzardi is a widely distributed filaria worm in the Amazon region. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of M. ozzardi infection in riverine communities of Lábrea municipality, Amazonas State, Brazil. METHODS A diagnostic blood filtration method in a polycarbonate membrane was used. RESULTS M. ozzardi was found in 50.3% of the sample, with the highest prevalence in farmers/fishermen (69.4%; χ 2 = -19.14, p<0.001). The prevalence was higher in longer-term residents (≥11 years; 60.2%). CONCLUSIONS M. ozzardi infection rates are high near the Purus River, much greater than those previously reported based on diagnosis using thick blood smears.