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Previous Volume 347:1841-1848 December 5, 2002 Number 23 Next

	Full Text PDF PDA Full Text PowerPoint Slide Set Editorial by Ottesen, E. A. Letters Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited PubMed Citation

ABSTRACT

Background The global initiative to eradicate bancroftian filariasis currently relies on mass treatment with four to six annual doses of antifilarial drugs. The goal is to reduce the reservoir of microfilariae in the blood to a level that is insufficient to maintain transmission by the mosquito vector.

Methods In nearly 2500 residents of Papua New Guinea, we prospectively assessed the effects of four annual treatments with a single dose of diethylcarbamazine plus ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine alone on the incidence of microfilariae-positive infections, the severity of lymphatic disease, and the rate of transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti by mosquitoes. Random assignment to treatment regimens was carried out according to the village of residence, and villages were categorized as having moderate or high rates of transmission.

Results The four annual treatments with either drug regimen were taken by 77 to 86 percent of the members of the population who were at least five years old; treatments were well tolerated. The proportion with microfilariae-positive infections decreased by 86 to 98 percent, with a greater reduction in areas with a moderate rate of transmission than in those with a high rate. The respective aggregate frequencies of hydrocele and leg lymphedema were 15 percent and 5 percent before the trial began, and 5 percent (P<0.001) and 4 percent (P=0.04) after five years. Hydrocele and leg lymphedema were eliminated in 87 percent and 69 percent, respectively, of those who had these conditions at the outset. The rate of transmission by mosquitoes decreased substantially, and new microfilariae-positive infections in children were almost completely prevented over the five-year study period.

Conclusions Annual mass treatment with drugs such as diethylcarbamazine can virtually eliminate the reservoir of microfilariae and greatly reduce the frequency of clinical lymphatic abnormalities due to bancroftian filariasis. Eradication may be possible in areas with moderate rates of transmission, but longer periods of treatment or additional control measures may be necessary in areas with high rates of transmission.

Source Information

From the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Madang, and Maprik, Papua New Guinea (M.J.B., W.K., Z.D., F.B., E.I., M.P.A.); the Division of Geographic Medicine and Center for International Health, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland (D.J.T., W.K., J.W.K.); the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London (N.D.E.A.); and the Center for International Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia (M.P.A.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Kazura at the Division of Geographic Medicine and Center for International Health, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, 2109 Adelbert Rd., W137 Harlan Wood Bldg., Cleveland, OH 44106, or at jxk14{at}po.cwru.edu.

Full Text of this Article

Related Letters:

Mass Treatment of Filariasis in New Guinea
Addiss D. G., Rajendran R., Sunish I.P., Mani T.R., Tisch D. J., Kazura J. W.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2003; 348:1179-1181, Mar 20, 2003. Correspondence

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