Журнал бактериологии и паразитологии

Абстрактный

A review of Mansonella ozzardi and its vectors in the Neotropical region with emphasis on the current situation in Haiti

Christian P. Raccourt

Mansonella ozzardi (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) is a poorly understood filarial nematode. This human parasite, transmitted by two families of dipteran vectors, biting midges (most of which belong to the genus Culicoides) and black flies (genus Simulium), is endemic to the neotropical regions of the New World. With a patchy geographic distribution from southern Mexico to northwestern Argentina, human infection with M. ozzardi is widespread on some Caribbean islands, along river communities in the Amazon basin, and on both sides of the border between Bolivia and Argentina. Studies conducted in Haiti between 1974 and 1984 allowed the first complete description of the adult worm and clarified the taxonomic position of this filarial species. In this article, the author reports on the known geographic distribution of M. ozzardi in the neotropical regions of America and the Caribbean and pays special attention to the current situation in Haiti, where this filariasis remains a completely neglected public health problem.