Concomitant malaria and filariasis infections in Georgetown, Guyana

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of concomitant malaria and bancroftian filariasis among febrile patients in Georgetown, Guyana, South America. METHODOLOGY: From January to December 1997, all patients visiting the Georgetown Malaria and Filariasis Clinics were enrolled in the study. At the Filariasis Clinic, nocturnal thick blood smears prepared from blood taken between 800 pm and 1200 midnight were dried and stored overnight. At the Malaria Clinic, thick blood smears were taken during the period 830 am to 400 pm, representing the diurnal study. All slides were stained using the standard Giemsa protocol and microscopically examined for the presence of filariasis and malaria. RESULTS: Of 1,267 persons, 83 percent were of African descent, 10 percent were of East Indian descent, and 7 percent were mixed or of other ethnic origins. Sixty-one per cent (769/1267) of smears were prepared from nocturnal blood samples whereas 509/1267 (40 percent) were diurnal samples from the Malaria Clinic. One hundred and three of 769 nocturnal blood smears were positive for only W bancrofti and 3 smears contained mixed infections, W bancrofti and malaria parasites. Only 21/509 diurnal blood smears had malaria parasites while 17 persons had both malaria and microfilaria parasites. CONCLUSION: The 20 cases of concomitant infection of malaria and bancroftian filariasis in this study may represent the first report of the occurrence of this phenomenon in Guyana.(AU)