Endemic Bancroftian Filariasis in Thailand: Detection
by Og4C3 Antigen Capture ELISA and the Polymerase
Chain Reaction
SURANG NUCHPRA YOON, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.*,
SONGPUN SANGPRAKARN, B.Sc.*,
SUTIN YENTAKAM*,
ALISA JUNPEE, B.Sc. *
Affiliation : *Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkom University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
AbstractLymphatic filariasis, mainly caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi, has been
targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization by the year 2020. To achieve this goal,
highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests are necessary for close monitoring and evaluation of
the control program. We employed an ELISA to detect the Og4C3 antigen and a polymerase chain
reaction-based assay for diagnosis of W. bancrofti infection, among the Thai-Karen population in Tak
province, Thailand. We found that this endemic area had a microfilarial rate of 10 per cent, while
the antigen assay could detect cases about two fold as many (23% ). The repeated PCR for the detec-
tion of Ssp I of W. bancrofti was positive in 12 per cent of the population under this study. Our data
emphasize the need for using highly sensitive and specific assays for assessment of the real burden of
the disease.
Keywords : Wuchereria bancrofti, Ssp I repeat, Og4C3 Antigen, PCR, Antigen Detection Assay
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