Loa loa microfilariae in skin snips: consequences for onchocerciasis monitoring and evaluation in L. loa endemic areas.

The specificity of skin snips for onchocerciasis diagnosis is considered to be almost 100%. In this study, molecular methods revealed that microfilariae emerging from skin snips collected from highly microfilaremic Loa loa-infected individuals were largely misidentified as Onchocerca volvulus. This has important implications for onchocerciasis diagnostic testing in Loa-endemic areas.