Clustering of Brugia malayi infection in a community in South-Sulawesi, Indonesia

Parasitology. 2000 Jan:120 ( Pt 1):23-9. doi: 10.1017/s0031182099005247.

Abstract

The present study was undertaken in village Karondang in South-Sulawesi, Indonesia, to investigate the influences of genetic, household and environmental factors on Brugia malayi infection. Infection status was determined by measuring both microfilariae in night blood and anti-filarial IgG4, as a marker for detection of active filarial infection. A total of 171 residents participated in the study; familial relationships between subjects were registered to construct pedigrees and distances between households were measured. The data were analysed using a test statistic for familial aggregation. For distribution of microfilariae over the study population a genetic influence on infection susceptibility was favoured over the household and environmental effects. For anti-filarial IgG4, all 3 clustering models gave significant results, suggesting that genetic, household and/or environmental factors influence specific IgG4 antibodies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Helminth / immunology
  • Brugia malayi / immunology
  • Brugia malayi / isolation & purification*
  • Brugia malayi / pathogenicity
  • Child
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Elephantiasis, Filarial / epidemiology*
  • Elephantiasis, Filarial / genetics
  • Elephantiasis, Filarial / immunology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Indonesia / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Microfilariae / immunology
  • Middle Aged
  • Parasitemia
  • Pedigree
  • Prevalence
  • Statistics, Nonparametric

Substances

  • Antigens, Helminth
  • Immunoglobulin G