02276nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001653001800042653002900060653002100089100001300110700001300123700001100136700001300147700001300160700001500173700001500188245015500203300001400358490000800372520165200380022001402032       2015                            d10aTransmissions10aMulti-drug Adminstration10aDiagnostic tools1 aOwusu IO1 aSouza DK1 aAnto F1 aWilson M1 aBoakye D1 aBockarie M1 aGyapong JO00aEvaluation of human and mosquito based diagnostic tools for defining endpoints for elimination of Anopheles transmitted lymphatic filariasis in Ghana.  a628 - 6350 v1093 a<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>The decision to stop mass drug administration (MDA) and monitor recrudescence has to be made when endpoints for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) have been achieved. Highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tools are required to do this. The main objective of this study was to determine most effective diagnostic tools for assessing interruption of LF transmission.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>The presence of filarial infection in blood and mosquito samples was determined using five diagnostic tools: Brugia malayi-14 (BM14) antibody detection ELISA, Onchocerca gibsoni antigen (Og4C3) based ELISA, PCR, immunochromatography (ICT) card test and blood smear. The study was carried out in two communities in the Central Region of Ghana.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>OG4C3 was found to be the most sensitive test but ICT, the second most sensitive, was the most field applicable. PCR was found to be the most specific. Thirteen out of 30 pools of anopheles mosquitoes tested positive for the DNA of Wuchereria bancrofti.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Very low antigen prevalence in primary school children indicates that MDA is working, so children born since the intervention was put in place are not getting infected. Inclusion of xenomonitoring in monitoring the effectiveness of MDA will give a better indication as to when transmission has been interrupted especially in areas where microfilaria prevalence is lower than 1%.</p>

<p>Also see: <a href="http://trstmh.oxfordjournals.org/content/109/10/628.full">http://trstmh.oxfordjournals.org/content/109/10/628.full</a></p>
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