Failure of diethylcarbamazine as a provocative test in subperiodic Wuchereria bancrofti filariasis

Abstract
The effect of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) on levels of microfilaraemia in 70 patients with subperiodic, Pacific-variant Wuchereria bancrofti infection was studied one hour after oral administration of 5 mg/kg of drug. In contrast to the immediate DEC-induced increase in microfilaraemia which has been previously described in patients with nocturnally periodic filariasis, diethylcarbamazine failed to elicit such a response in patients with subperiodic bancrofti infection. Indeed, one hour after oral DEC the number of circulating micro-filariae was reduced to about 8 % of pre-treatment values.

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