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 district between the Ruwenzori mountains and the Ituri forest, an area not endemic for Onchocerca volvulus. The crude prevalence in 806 examined adult persons ranged from 5 to 89% with an average of 61%. In 148 children the prevalence was 36%. The geometric mean of microfilaria (mf) densities in adult mf carriers was 1.7 mf/mg skin and the community microfilarial loads ranged from 1.0 to 13.7 mf/skin snip. In 476 persons 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°C in isotonic salt solution. An itching acute or more often chronic papular dermatitis, predominantly on the upper parts of the body, was the typical skin lesion observed in 24% of 177 M. streptocerca mf carriers.