01825nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653001500054653001100069653001600080653002300096653001600119100001400135700001800149245004500167300001000212490000700222520137600229022001401605       2014                            d10aLoiasis10aIvermectin10aHumans10aFilaricides10aDiethylcarbamazine10aAlbendazole1 aMetzger W1 aMordmüller B00aLoa loa-does it deserve to be neglected?  a353-70 v143 a<p><strong>Abstract</strong> More than 10 million people in western and central Africa are estimated to be infected with Loa loa filarial nematodes. Like most other infectious diseases, L loa filariasis (loiasis) covers a wide range of symptoms. Severe complications have been reported; however, most observations are anecdotal, typically in travellers. The widespread use of filaricidal drugs within eradication programmes of Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria bancrofti led to the observation that concomitant L loa infection increases the risk of severe treatment-associated, life-threatening complications. Initiatives were therefore launched to map the risk of loiasis. Insight about the epidemiology of L loa has advanced notably; however, its effect on the individual as well as on the community level has not been well studied. In the absence of appropriate studies, L loa is commonly judged a harmless nematode, and loiasis as a separate entity does not belong to the list of neglected tropical diseases to be controlled or eradicated in worldwide campaigns. We advocate reorientation of research efforts towards a patient-centric view of loiasis and, as a first step, to establish the disease burden in disability-adjusted life-years of this chronic infection, and to answer the question of whether loiasis should be included in future control programmes.</p>
  a1474-4457