Developmental Stages of Brugia pahangi in the Final Host

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Abstract
Morphologic details of the larval and adult stages of B. pahangi in cats are described. The third molt occurs 8 to 9 days after inoculation of infective larvae; both sexes are about 2 mm long at this time. Males are 6 or 7 mm long when they molt for the fourth time at about 23 days; females are 10 to 13 mm long when they molt at between 27 and 33 days. Sex differences in the growth curve first occur during the fourth stage. Females reach maximum size at about 120 days, males at about 45 days. The largest male seen was 20 mm long, the largest female, 63 mm long. Mating occurs at about 33 days and microfilariae appear in the vagina at about 55 days. The original description of B. pahangi is expanded to encompass features observed in specimens ranging in age from 55 to 321 days. The most distinctive features of the male of Brugia species are those of the spicules. The presence or absence of caudal cuticular bosses in females and the character of the esophagus are unreliable differential features. The location of the vulva distinguishes B.pahangi from B. patei, but not from aperiodic B. malayi. The marked discrepancy in location of the vulva between B. malayi recovered from man and those from animals raises the question of the exact status of different "forms" of B. malayi. It is suggested that B. malayi may be a species complex. The histological features of the larval stages and of the immature and mature adults are described for possible use in the identification of filariae observed in human or animal tissues.