A preliminary account of the transmission, maintenance and laboratory vectors of Brugia pahangi

Abstract

Brugia pahangi occurs naturally in the domestic cat and dog and in several species of forest animals in areas where B. malayi is endemic. Attempts were made to transmit B. pahangi by the direct inoculation of infective larvae to domestic cats, slow loris, macaque monkeys, civet cats, squirrels, tree-shrews and guinea-pigs. Cats, slow loris and civet cats were successfully infected, but no monkeys became infected. The prepatent period in cats varied from 59–83 days. Microfilaria counts rose to high levels and have been maintained for more than years. The rate of development in the vertebrate host was followed. Feeding experiments with a wide range of mosquitoes showed that Armigeres obturbans is a very efficient host. Mansonia annulatus is also a good host but M. uniformis is less efficient and M. longipalpis is a comparatively poor laboratory host. M. (C.) crassipes, Anopheles barbirostris, A. umbrosus and small numbers of Aedes aegypti and Culex fatigans also supported development to the infective stage. M. longipalpis and M. annulatus were proved to be vectors in nature.