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Lymphatic Filariasis ( Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, and Wuchereria bancrofti )
Etiology
The filarial worms Brugia malayi ( Malayan filariasis ), Brugia timori, and Wuchereria bancrofti ( bancroftian filariasis ) are threadlike nematodes that cause similar infections. Infective larvae are introduced into humans during blood feeding by the mosquito vector. Over 4-6 mo, the larval forms develop into sexually mature adult worms. Once an adequate number of male and female worms accumulate in the afferent lymphatic vessels, adult female worms release large numbers of microfilariae that circulate in the bloodstream. The life cycle of the parasite is completed when mosquitoes ingest microfilariae in a blood meal, which molt to form infective larvae over 10-14 days. Adult worms have a 5-7 yr life span.
Epidemiology
More than 120 million people living in tropical Africa, Asia, and Latin America are infected; approximately 10–20% of these individuals have clinically significant morbidity attributable to filariasis. W. bancrofti is transmitted in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and accounts for 90% of lymphatic filariasis. B. malayi is restricted to the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, and B. timori is restricted to several islands of Indonesia. Travelers from nonendemic areas of the world who spend brief periods in endemic areas are rarely infected. Global elimination has been targeted for 2020.
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