The sheaths ofBrugia microfilariae: Isolation and composition

Abstract
Burgia malayi andB. pahangi microfilariae were isolated from the blood of infectedMastomys natalensis, and were exsheathed by freezing, thawing and agitation. Pure sheaths were obtained by a filtration procedure. The sheaths were found to contain about 95 mol% of amino acids, with proline, glutamic acid/glutamine, alanine, cysteine/cystine and glycine being the major components, and 5 mol% of carbohydrates, notably (N-acetyl)galactosamine, but no (N-acetyl)glucosamine.