OCCURRENCE AND DIAGNOSIS OF MANSONELLA-STREPTOCERCA IN UGANDA

During filaria surveys Mansonella streptocerca was found for the first time in Uganda, in 12 widely scattered villages in the Bundibugyo dis trict between the Ruwenzori mountains and the Ituri forest, an area no t endemic for Onchocerca volvulus. The crude prevalence in 806 examine d adult persons ranged from 5 to 89% with an average of 61%. In 148 ch ildren the prevalence was 36%. The geometric mean of microfilaria (mf) densities in adult mf carriers was 1.7 mf/mg skin and the community m icrofilarial loads ranged from 1.0 to 13.7 mf/skin snip. In 476 person s skin snips from the shoulder contained mf in 58% and those from the buttocks in 48%. Skin snips from 68 persons digested with collagenase showed that only 30-37% of the mf emerged during 24 h incubation at 30 degrees C in isotonic salt solution. An itching acute or more often c hronic papular dermatitis, predominantly on the upper parts of the bod y, was the typical skin lesion observed in 24% of 177 M. streptocerca mf carriers. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.