Filarial worms are a family of parasites that cause diseases that attack different parts of the body...
Lymphatic filariasis is a disease caused by parasitic worms, spread by infectious mosquitoes.
Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is a skin and eye disease caused by a microscopic parasitic worm...
Loiasis is a disease caused by a parasitic worm called Loa loa and is spread by deerflies.
More on Filarial Worms
Clinical Overview of Lymphatic Filariasis
Clinical expression of lymphatic filariasis varies considerably from asymptomatic to subclinical lym...
Symptoms of Lymphatic Filariasis
The parasite that causes lymphatic filariasis attacks an infected person’s lymph system.
What Causes Lymphatic Filariasis
Lymphatic filariasis is caused by three species of microscopic parasitic worms.
Preventing Lymphatic Filariasis
The best way to prevent lymphatic filariasis is to avoid mosquito bites.Treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis
The usual treatment for lymphatic filariasis is a drug called diethylcarbamazine (DEC).
Clinical Treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis
Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) is the drug of choice for lymphatic filariasis.- Symptoms for onchocerciasis range from none to skin rashes, lumps under the skin, and vision loss.
The most common way to diagnose onchocerciasis is to examine a skin snip for microfilariae.
- The recommended drug used to treat symptoms of onchocerciasis is the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin.
Clinical Overview of Onchocerciasis
Patients present with a range of symptoms from none to skin rash, eye disease, or nodules under the...
Clinical Treatment of Onchocerciasis
The treatment of choice for onchocerciasis is ivermectin, which kills microfilariae but not adult wo...
Symptoms of loiasis range from none to itchy skin swellings and eye worms.
Loiasis spreads spread through the bites of infected deerflies which breed in African rain forests.Clinical Testing and Diagnosis for Loiasis
Daytime blood smears, (10 AM – 2 PM), are the standard diagnostic test for loiasis.
Consult an expert with experience in treating loiasis and preventing treatment complications.