New records of Mansonella ozzardi : a parasite that is spreading from the state of Amazonas to previously uninfected areas of the state of Acre in the Purus River region

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Vol. 109; no. 1; pp. 87 - 92
• Main Authors: Adami, Yara Leite, Rodrigues, Gabriel, Costa Alves, Marilene, Pinto Moraes, Mario Augusto, Maria Banic, Dalma, Maia-Herzog, Marilza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz 01-02-2014; Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amazon; Animals; Brazil - epidemiology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Insect Vectors - parasitology; Male; Mansonella - isolation & purification; Mansonella ozzardi; Mansonelliasis - blood; Mansonelliasis - epidemiology; Mansonelliasis - transmission; mansonellosis; Middle Aged; Onchocerca volvulus - genetics; PARASITOLOGY; Prevalence; Purus River; Recombinant Proteins; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Simuliidae - parasitology; Symptom Assessment; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Young Adult; Brazil; prevalence; mansonellosis; Amazon; Mansonella ozzardi; Purus River
• ISSN: 1678-8060; 0074-0276; 1678-8060; 0074-0276
• DOI: 10.1590/0074-0276130243

Mansonella ozzardi infections are common in the riverside communities
along the Solimões, Negro and Purus Rivers in the state of
Amazonas (AM). However, little is known about the presence of this
parasite in communities located in regions bordering AM and the state
of Acre. The prevalence rate of M. ozzardi infections was determined in
blood samples from volunteers according to the Knott method. A total of
355 volunteers from six riverine communities were enrolled in the study
and 65 (18.3%) were found to be infected with M. ozzardi. As expected,
most of the infections (25%) occurred in individuals involved in
agriculture, cattle rearing and fishing and an age/sex group analysis
revealed that the prevalence increased beginning in the
40-50-years-of-age group and reached 33% in both sexes in individuals
over 50 years of age. Based on the described symptomatology, articular
pain and headache were found to be significantly higher among infected
individuals (56 and 65% prevalence, respectively, p < 0.05). Sera
from volunteers were subjected to ELISA using a cocktail of recombinant
proteins from Onchocerca volvulus to evaluate the specificity of the
test in an endemic M. ozzardi region. No cross-reactions between M.
ozzardi-infected individuals and recombinant O. volvulus proteins were
detected, thus providing information on the secure use of this
particular cocktail in areas where these parasites are sympatric.