ABSTRACT
Background The tenn "lymphatic filariasis" encompasses infection with three closely related
nematode worms-Wuchereria bancrojii, Brugia malay; and Brugia timori. All three parasites are transmitted by the bites of infective mosquitoes and have quite similar life cycles in humans (Fig. 12.1) with the adult worms living in the afferent lymphatic vessels while their offspring, the microfilariae, circulate in the peripheral blood and are available to infect mosquito vectors when they feed. Though not fatal, the disease is responsible for considerable suffering, deformity and disability and is the second leading parasitic cause of disability with DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) estimated to be 5.549 million.
