Loiasis

A parasitic infection caused by the nematode Loa loa. The vector in the transmission of this infection is the horsefly (Tabanus) or the deerfly or mango fly (Chrysops). The larvae may be seen just beneath the skin or passing through the conjunctiva. Eye lesions are not uncommon. The disease is generally mild and painless.

Also Known As:

Networked: 225 relevant articles (9 outcomes, 20 trials/studies)

Relationship Network

Disease Context: Research Results

Related Diseases

1.	Onchocerciasis
2.	Infections
3.	Coinfection
4.	Eosinophilia
5.	Babesiosis (Piroplasmosis)

Experts

1.	Wanji, Samuel: 18 articles (01/2021 - 05/2003)
2.	Nutman, Thomas B: 10 articles (10/2021 - 01/2003)
3.	Taylor, Mark J: 10 articles (01/2021 - 04/2005)
4.	Boussinesq, Michel: 8 articles (01/2022 - 05/2011)
5.	Hoerauf, Achim: 8 articles (01/2022 - 01/2009)
6.	Kamgno, Joseph: 8 articles (12/2020 - 08/2011)
7.	Turner, Joseph D: 7 articles (01/2021 - 04/2010)
8.	Kelly-Hope, Louise A: 7 articles (02/2018 - 09/2011)
9.	Molyneux, David H: 7 articles (02/2018 - 09/2011)
10.	Weil, Gary J: 6 articles (03/2022 - 12/2014)

Drugs and Biologics

Drugs and Important Biological Agents (IBA) related to Loiasis:

1.	Ivermectin (Mectizan)FDA Link 02/01/1993 - "Tolerance and efficacy of single high-dose ivermectin for the treatment of loiasis." 08/01/2006 - "Ivermectin has been shown to be an effective treatment of loiasis. " 02/01/1994 - "Efficacy of ivermectin treatment of Loa loa filariasis patients without microfilaraemias." 10/24/2003 - "loa endemic communities at high risk of encephalopathic SAEs if treated with Mectizan(R); this study will be conducted in collaboration with WHO/TDR.4. Establish a post of Loiasis Technical Advisor for research and operational support in Cameroon, to conduct population surveys and to facilitate better data collection from SAE cases, including postmortem studies as appropriate.5. Investigate the possibility of developing an animal model of L. " 03/01/1991 - "[Therapeutic trial with ivermectin in loiasis with medium and high microfilaremia]."
2.	Diethylcarbamazine (Hetrazan)FDA Link 09/01/1996 - "Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) induced clearance of microfilaraemia in loiasis is associated with severe posttreatment reactions. " 10/05/2021 - "Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) treatment of loiasis is complicated by adverse reactions that are correlated with the number of circulating microfilariae (mf). " 03/01/1994 - "Effectiveness of diethylcarbamazine in treating loiasis acquired by expatriate visitors to endemic regions: long-term follow-up." 02/02/1989 - "Diethylcarbamazine and human loiasis." 09/22/1988 - "We conclude that diethylcarbamazine given orally once weekly can be an effective, acceptable chemoprophylactic agent to prevent loiasis in temporary residents of regions of Africa where Loa loa is endemic."
3.	Albendazole (Albenza)FDA Link 01/01/2019 - "To inform policy for areas with loiasis where only albendazole can be used, it may be worth conducting placebo-controlled trials of albendazole alone." 07/01/1993 - "To assess the filaricidal activity and clinical safety of albendazole in human loiasis, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in an endemic area in Benin, Africa. " 07/01/1993 - "Albendazole in human loiasis: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial." 03/01/2016 - "Sixty men and women from a loiasis endemic area in Cameroon were randomized after stratification by screening LLM (≤ 30000, 30001-50000, >50000) to three treatment arms: two doses albendazole followed by 4 doses matching placebo (n = 20), six doses albendazole (n = 20) albendazole or 6 doses matching placebo (n = 20) administered every two months. " 08/01/2004 - "Human loiasis in a Cameroonian village: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial of a three-day albendazole regimen."
4.	Levamisole (Decaris)FDA Link 01/01/2022 - "Safety and Efficacy of Levamisole in Loiasis: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind Clinical Trial." 10/01/2022 - "However, 30% of patients with loiasis and mansonellosis experienced treatment failure (with diethylcarbamazine and levamisole-mebendazole, respectively). " 10/31/2023 - "Oral drugs evaluated include sparfloxacin and acedapsone for leprosy; rifampicin, rifapentin and moxifloxacin for onchocerciasis; imatinib and levamisole for loiasis; itraconazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, ravuconazole and disulfiram for Chagas disease, doxycycline and rifampicin for lymphatic filariasis; arterolane, piperaquine, artesunate, artemether, lumefantrine and mefloquine for schistosomiasis; ivermectin, tribendimidine, pyrantel, oxantel and nitazoxanide for soil-transmitted helminths including strongyloidiasis; chloroquine, ivermectin, balapiravir, ribavirin, celgosivir, UV-4B, ivermectin and doxycycline for dengue; streptomycin, amoxicillin, clavulanate for Buruli ulcer; fluconazole and isavuconazonium for mycoses; clarithromycin and dapsone for cutaneous leishmaniasis; and tribendimidine, albendazole, mebendazole and nitazoxanide for foodborne trematodiasis. "
5.	Adrenal Cortex Hormones (Corticosteroids)IBA 01/01/2021 - "Our results highlight that, by 1 year following treatment, infection-associated immunologic abnormalities had resolved in nearly all patients treated for loiasis, and pretreatment corticosteroids had no influence on the resolution of the immunologic perturbations nor on the efficacy of diethylcarbamazine as a curative agent in loiasis. "
6.	Immunoglobulin G (IgG)IBA 01/01/2015 - "Loa loa infection in TR was characterized by the presence of Calabar swelling (in 82% of subjects), markedly elevated eosinophil counts, and increased filaria-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels; these findings were thought to reflect an unmodulated immune response. " 07/05/2003 - "Loiasis was diagnosed by means of positive IgG4 serology against Loa loa. " 03/01/2002 - "Expression of filarial-specific IgG subclasses under different transmission intensities in a region endemic for loiasis." 07/01/1999 - "[Comparative analysis of 2 diagnostic methods of human loiasis: IgG4 serology and nested PCR]." 04/01/1998 - "The mean IgG4 level in these putatively occult loiasis patients was slightly but significantly lower than in microfilaraemic subjects (P < 0.03). "
7.	Doxycycline (Periostat)FDA LinkGeneric 01/01/2001 - "Doxycycline and eradication of microfilaremia in patients with loiasis." 08/27/2009 - "This study indicates that when empowered the community health implementers can successfully deliver doxycycline for six weeks for the treatment of onchocerciasis in areas of co-endemicity with loiasis. " 08/27/2009 - "This study assessed the feasibility of a large-scale distribution of doxycycline for the treatment of onchocerciasis in areas of co-endemicity with loiasis using a community-directed approach. " 08/27/2009 - "Community-directed delivery of doxycycline for the treatment of onchocerciasis in areas of co-endemicity with loiasis in Cameroon." 12/04/2019 - "Implementation of test-and-treat with doxycycline and temephos ground larviciding as alternative strategies for accelerating onchocerciasis elimination in an area of loiasis co-endemicity: the COUNTDOWN consortium multi-disciplinary study protocol."
8.	AntigensIBA 11/01/1972 - "[Serological study of loaiasis by Ouchterlony's method using a homologous antigen]." 01/01/2021 - "Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from loiasis patients were stimulated with or without filarial antigen. " 11/01/2018 - "loa antigens appeared to be only transiently present in the blood of a subset of persons with loiasis. " 11/01/2018 - "To better understand the nature of this cross-reactivity, we used the DH6.5 antibody to immunoaffinity purify Loa loa antigens from the sera of individuals with a positive RDT due to loiasis. " 01/01/2017 - "Discovery of Specific Antigens That Can Predict Microfilarial Intensity in Loa loa Infection."
9.	Immunoglobulin E (IgE)IBA 03/01/2014 - "IgE titres were higher in patients with microscopic dual-infection and in the group of patients with occult loiasis plus M. " 03/01/1991 - "The geometric mean number of IgE-secreting cells in 10(5) B lymphocytes in PBMC was 0.42 (range 0-2.2) in normal persons, 5.6 (range 0.1-35.5) among patients with loiasis, 9.4 (range 0-53.2) among patients with lymphatic filariasis, 52 (range 31.5-115) among patients with TPE, and 218 (range 56-1404) among patients with HIE. " 03/01/1991 - "To assess whether elevated serum IgE levels result from an increased number of B lymphocytes committed to IgE production, the proportion of IgE-producing B lymphocytes was determined by a filter immunoplaque assay using PBMC from persons with a broad range of serum IgE levels that included normal persons (n = 9) and patients with loiasis (n = 12), tropical pulmonary eosinophilia (TPE) (n = 6), lymphatic filariasis (n = 28), and HIE (n = 8). " 03/01/1988 - "The usual clinical picture of loiasis in long-term visitors to endemic areas differs from that in residents of these areas, with allergic symptoms, hypergammaglobulinemia, profound hypereosinophilia, and increased serum levels of IgE being more prominent. " 01/01/2022 - "An interesting finding reported in several studies is that 70% of individuals with loiasis do not carry microfilariae in their blood, and 30% are microfilaremic, suggesting the involvement of several immunological mechanisms, as shown by elevated specific IgG4 and IgE levels signifying a potential cross-linking mechanism between the two isotypes via L. "
10.	Complex MixturesIBA 04/01/1998 - "In this study we evaluated an IgG4 antibody-based ELISA using crude extract of Loa loa microfilariae (which is easier to obtain than adult worm) to estimate the prevalence of loiasis in 3 villages in South-East Gabon. "

Therapies and Procedures

1.	Blood Component Removal (Apheresis) 06/01/2017 - "Apheresis has been used to lower the parasite burden of patients with Loa loa infection, but there are no reports regarding how to do this using modern, continuous flow equipment with a currently available program. " 06/01/2017 - "Therapeutic apheresis using a mononuclear cell program to lower the microfilaria burden of a 23-year-old African woman with loiasis." 01/04/1986 - "Apheresis in the management of loiasis with high microfilariaemia and renal disease." 10/22/1983 - "Usefulness of apheresis to extract microfilarias in the management of loiasis." 08/20/1983 - "Usefulness of apheresis to extract microfilarias in management of loiasis."
2.	Chemoprevention 12/01/1961 - "Studies on the chemoprophylaxis of loiasis. " 01/01/1968 - "In several parts of Africa where this chemoprophylaxis is practised against Loa loa, infections with Onchocerca volvulus are also common. " 01/01/1968 - "Previous work on monkeys and on human volunteers led to the development of a schedule of diethylcarbamazine dosage suitable for the chemoprophylaxis of loiasis. "
3.	Mass Drug Administration 01/01/2022 - "In case of loiasis which is caused by the parasitic eyeworm Loa loa, mass drug administration is contraindicative due to severe side effects of microfilariae killing, which can be life threatening. " 12/01/2021 - "To date, therapeutic efforts to eliminate human filariasis have been hampered by the lack of a drug with sufficient macrofilaricidal and/or long-term sterilizing effects that is suitable for use in mass drug administration (MDA) programs, particularly in areas co-endemic with Loa loa, the causative agent of loiasis. " 12/01/2014 - "Implementation of mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis (LF) has been delayed in central Africa because of incomplete mapping and coendemic loiasis. " 11/01/2022 - "Community presence of loiasis must be determined before mass drug administration programmes for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis can be implemented. " 06/01/2018 - "Therefore it is current policy that communities of high loiasis-burden are excluded from mass drug administration programmes of ivermectin. "
4.	Therapeutics 01/01/2021 - "We have previously demonstrated that eosinophil-associated processes underlie some of the differences in clinical presentation among patients with Loa loa infection prior to therapy and that some posttreatment adverse events appear to be dependent on eosinophil activation. " 01/01/2019 - "Areas with loiasis not previously treated would benefit from implementing test-and(not)-treat-based interventions, vector control, and anti- Wolbachia therapies, but their success will depend on the levels of screening and coverage achieved and sustained. " 01/01/2003 - "The clinical manifestations and geographic distribution of loiasis overlap with those of other human filarial parasites, presenting challenges in the specific diagnosis of loiasis that may lead to delays in appropriate therapy. " 10/01/1993 - "We discuss the characteristic clinical manifestations of, pathological findings of, and therapy for loiasis. " 10/01/2022 - "Case management would benefit from more effective therapies for loiasis and mansonellosis."
5.	Aftercare (After-Treatment) 01/01/2015 - "Loa loa infections have emerged as a serious public health problem in patients co-infected with Onchocerca volvulus or Wuchereria bancrofti because of severe adverse neurological reactions after treatment with ivermectin. " 01/01/1989 - "Although microfilaraemia was not detectable, loiasis was diagnosed, given the clinical manifestations, epidemiological data, history of sub-conjunctival migration of the adult worm (in one case), spectacular recovery (clinical and biological) after treatment with diethylcarbamazine. " 12/01/2006 - "The burden posed by loiasis is probably under-estimated and, in addition, individuals harbouring high Loa microfilarial loads are at risk of developing serious neurological reactions after treatment with diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin. " 05/01/2011 - "We report a case of loiasis with unusual clinical complications: a peripheral neuropathy and focal hypo-echogenic lesions of the spleen, which disappeared after treatment with albendazole and ivermectin. "