Parasitology - Mansonella

1. MANSONELLA
MANSONELLA PERSTANS
MANSONELLA STREPTOCERCA
MANSONELLA OZZARDI

2. Members of the genus Mansonella are filarial
nematodes which rarely cause serious
disease. However, they can be found in
geographical areas where Wuchereria bancrofti,
Loa loa and Onchocerca volvulus also occur and
therefore must be differentiated from these
pathogenic microfilariae. Unlike the pathogenic
blood filariae, they do not exhibit periodicity.

3. MANSONELLA STREPTOCERCA
• ADULTS
Adults that reside in the dermis, most commonly less than 1 mm from the skin surface
• SIZES
Females: 27 mm in length; diameter is 50 µ m at the level of the vulva (anteriorly) ad
ovaries (near the posterior end), and up to 85 µ m at the mid-body
Males: 50 µ in diameter
• MICROFILARIA
Unsheated and non-periodic
Measures 180-240 µ m by 3-5 µ m, which reside in the skin but can also reach the
peripheral blood

6. MANIFESTATIONS
• Mansonella streptocerca
Can cause skin manifestations including pruritus, papular eruptions ang pigmental changes
Eosinophilia is often prominent in filarial infections

7. DIAGNOSIS
• Examination of skin snaps will identify microfilariae of
Mansonella streptocerca