Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1998
Publication Title
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
To differentiate the skin-dwelling filariae Mansonella streptocerca and Onchocerca volvulus, a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed from small amounts of parasite material present in skin biopsies. One nonspecific and one specific pair of primers were used to amplify the 5S rDNA spacer region of M. streptocerca. Biopsies with different microfilaria densities obtained from 104 Ugandans living in an area endemic forM. streptocerca were tested using both the nested PCR assay and standard parasitologic assessment of microfilariae. All 82 samples from microfilaria carriers were positive when tested using the nested PCR assay. In addition, M. streptocerca DNA could be detected in 16 samples thought to be microfilaria negative. Furthermore, six days follow- ing ivermectin treatment, M. streptocerca DNA was found in 12 of 14 microfilaria-negative biopsies. Control skin samples from patients infected with O. volvulus were all negative in the nested PCR assay. This assay improves the diagnosis of M. streptocerca and will facilitate further epidemiologic studies.
Volume
58
Issue
6
First Page
816
Last Page
820
Rights
©1998 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Recommended Citation
Fischer, Peter U.; Büttner, Dietrich W.; Bamuhiiga, Jotham; and Williams, Steven A., "Detection of the Filarial Parasite Mansonella streptocerca in Skin Biopsies by a Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Assay" (1998). Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/bio_facpubs/41
Comments
Archived as published.