Lymphatic Filariasis in Humans: An Immunologic Maze
Authors: WILLY F. PIESSENS
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1981)

Editorials1 December 1981Lymphatic Filariasis in Humans: An Immunologic MazeWILLY F. PIESSENS, M.D.WILLY F. PIESSENS, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-95-6-778 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptPersons infected with lymph dwelling filarial nematodes such asWuchereria bancroftiandBrugia malayimay be completely asymptomatic or can present a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including chronic elephantiasis, hydrocoeles, and chyluria (1). According to a long standing concept, immune reactions against filarial worms mediate the pathologic changes that appear clinically. Recurrent episodes of acute adenitis and retrograde lymphangitis are thought to be due to immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions to developing larvae or materials released by living adult worms, or both, whereas chronic "obstructive" filarial disease is said to result from delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to dead or dying adult worms...References1. OTTESEN E. Immunopathology of lymphatic filariasis in man. Semin Immunopathol. 1980; 2:373-85. CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. WARREN K. Worms. In: SAMTER M, ed. Immunological Diseases. 2nd ed. Boston: Little and Brown; 1971:251-2. Google Scholar3. PIESSENSMCGREEVYPIESSENS WPP. Immune responses in human infections with Brugia malayi: specific cellular unresponsiveness to filarial antigens. J Clin Invest. 1980; 65:172-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. MCGREEVYRATIWAYANTOTUTIMCGREEVYDENNIS PSSMD. Brugia malayi: relationship between antisheath antibodies and amicrofilaremia in natives living in an endemic area of South Kalimantan, Borneo. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1980; 29:553-62. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. OTTESENNEVAPARANJAPETRIPATHYTHIRUVENGADAMBEAVEN EFRSKM. Specific allergic sensitisation to filarial antigens in tropical eosinophilia syndrome. Lancet. 1979; 1:1158-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. PEISSENSPARTONO WF. Host-vector-parasite relationships in human filariasis. Semin Infect Dis. 1980; 3:131-52. Google Scholar7. DISSANAYAKEDE SILVAISMAIL SLM. IgM antibody to filarial antigens in human cord blood: possibility of transplacental infection. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1980; 74:542-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. WEISSTANNER NM. Studies on Dipetalonema viteae (Filarioidea): III. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated destruction of microfilariae in vivo. Tropenmed Parasit. 1979; 30:73-80. MedlineGoogle Scholar9. PIESSENSRATIWAYANTOTUTI WSS. Antigen specific suppressor cells and suppressor factors in human filariasis with Brugia malayi. N Engl J Med. 1980; 302:833-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. GREENWOOD B. Immunosuppression in malaria and trypanosomiasis. In: Parasites in the Immunized Host: Mechanisms of Survival. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1974:137-59. (Ciba Foundation Symposium No. 25). CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. OOTHUMANDENHAMMCGREEVYNELSONROGERS PDPGR. Successful vaccination of cats against Brugia pahangi with larvae attenuated by irradiation with 10 Krads cobalt 60. Parasite Immunol. 1979; 1:209-16. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Medicine Harvard Medical School Department of Rheumatology and Immunology Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byLymphatic Filariasis: Perspectives on Lymphatic Remodeling and Contractile Dysfunction in Filarial Disease PathogenesisThe dynamics of Wuchereria bancrofti infection: a model-based analysis of longitudinal data from Pondicherry, IndiaRegulation of the immune response in lymphatic filariasis: perspectives on acute and chronic infection with Wuchereria bancrofti in South IndiaImmunodiagnosis of bancroftian filariasis—Problems and progressHuman serum albumin is a major component on the surface of microfilariae of Wuchereria bancroftiImmunopathology of Parasitic Diseases: A Conceptual Approach 1 December 1981Volume 95, Issue 6Page: 778-779KeywordsFilariasisHypersensitivityLymphLymphangitisTropical diseases ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 December 1981 PDF downloadLoading ...