Variability of Loa loa microfilarial counts in successive blood smears and its potential implication in drug-related serious adverse events.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The standard method to diagnose Loa loa infection and quantify microfilarial density (MFD) is the microscopic examination of calibrated thick blood smears (TBSs). In 1950, it was noticed that successive L. loa MFD samples from a single capillary puncture could exhibit up to 20% variation. Although loiasis treatment allocation is based on MFD to prevent serious adverse events (SAEs), data on this variability are scarce. There are also no guidelines supporting the collection and analysis of one or two TBSs.

Methods

We assessed the variability of two successive L. loa MFD samples (MFD₁ and MFD₂), collected from 255 patients. We analyzed the influence of sex, age, weight, heart rate, arterial pressure, body temperature, and sampling time on MFD v

SUBMITTER: Lepage TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11549846 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature