The History of Bancroftian Lymphatic Filariasis in Australasia and Oceania: Is There a Threat of Re-Occurrence in Mainland Australia?

Gordon, Catherine A.; Jones, Malcolm K.; McManus, Donald P.

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed3020058

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The History of Bancroftian Lymphatic Filariasis in Australasia and Oceania: Is There a Threat of Re-Occurrence in Mainland Australia?

Catherine A. Gordon

^1,*

Malcolm K. Jones

² and

Donald P. McManus

Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia

School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2018, 3(2), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed3020058

Received: 26 April 2018 / Revised: 30 May 2018 / Accepted: 31 May 2018 / Published: 4 June 2018

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control of Communicable Diseases in Human and in Animal Populations: 70th Anniversary Year of the Birth of Professor Rick Speare (2 August 1947 – 5 June 2016))

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Abstract

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) infects an estimated 120 million people worldwide, with a further 856 million considered at risk of infection and requiring preventative chemotherapy. The majority of LF infections are caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, named in honour of the Australian physician Joseph Bancroft, with the remainder due to Brugia malayi and B. timori. Infection with LF through the bite of an infected mosquito, can lead to the development of the condition known as elephantiasis, where swelling due to oedema leads to loss of function in the affected area and thickening of the skin, ‘like an elephant’. LF has previously been endemic in Australia, although currently, no autochthonous cases occur there. Human immigration to Australia from LF-endemic countries, including those close to Australia, and the presence of susceptible mosquitoes that can act as suitable vectors, heighten the possibility of the reintroduction of LF into this country. In this review, we examine the history of LF in Australia and Oceania and weigh up the potential risk of its re-occurrence on mainland Australia. View Full-Text

Keywords: Wuchereria bancrofti; lymphatic filariasis; elephantiasis

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Gordon, C.A.; Jones, M.K.; McManus, D.P. The History of Bancroftian Lymphatic Filariasis in Australasia and Oceania: Is There a Threat of Re-Occurrence in Mainland Australia? Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2018, 3, 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed3020058

AMA Style

Gordon CA, Jones MK, McManus DP. The History of Bancroftian Lymphatic Filariasis in Australasia and Oceania: Is There a Threat of Re-Occurrence in Mainland Australia? Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2018; 3(2):58. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed3020058

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gordon, Catherine A., Malcolm K. Jones, and Donald P. McManus. 2018. "The History of Bancroftian Lymphatic Filariasis in Australasia and Oceania: Is There a Threat of Re-Occurrence in Mainland Australia?" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 3, no. 2: 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed3020058

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