Weerasooriya, M.V.Gunawardena, N.K.Itoh, M.Qiu, X.G.Kimura, E.2014-10-292014-10-292002Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2002; 96(1): pp. 41-450035-9203 (Print)1878-3503 (Electronic)http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1540Indexed in MEDLINEIn Sri Lanka 2741 people from Matara, an endemic area for Wuchereria bancrofti, were examined in 1996/97 for microfilariae by 60-microL blood smear and for circulating filarial antigens by Og4C3 ELISA using filter paper-absorbed whole blood. The overall prevalence of microfilaraemia was 3.4%, and that of antigenaemia 14.4%. The prevalence of antigen-positive and microfilaria-negative people was 11.3%. Analysed by age-group,antigenaemia prevalence was similar in all groups, and the average number of antigen units was already very high in the age-group < 10 years, indicating that the infection started in early childhood. Among those who were antigen positive, the microfilaria prevalence was lower in females than in males. Diethylcarbamazine treatment eliminated microfilariae in 78% of the positives. However, 17 months after the treatment, antigenaemia was still positive in 76% of those who were parasitologically cured.FilariasisWuchereria bancroftiFilariasis-epidemiologySri Lanka-epidemiologyWuchereria bancrofti-immunologyAntigens, Helminth-bloodPrevalenceArticleParasitology