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Are coinfections of malaria and filariasis of any epidemiological significance?

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Abstract

Africa accounts for about 33 and 90% of the world’s burden of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and malaria, respectively. Despite tremendous progress in the approach to their diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment, and global campaigns for their control and/or elimination, their global burden and economic costs have continued to rise. In most rural areas of the tropics, both diseases co-occur in the same human population and share common mosquito vectors. It is therefore conceived that control of the two diseases can be integrated using tools that have been proven effective recently or in the past. Before implementation of control programs in areas co-endemic for both diseases, it is deemed necessary to understand how the two diseases interact in the vector and human hosts. Here, we summarize available knowledge on coinfections of malaria and LF and provide an insight on how they can be managed.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by NIH/NIAID grant UO1054889 (to R.N.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, William C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 206C Bevill Biomedical Research Building, 845 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Ephantus J. Muturi, Benjamin G. Jacob, Chang-Hyun Kim & Robert J. Novak

  2. Center for Geographic Medicine and Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya

    Charles M. Mbogo

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  1. Ephantus J. Muturi
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Correspondence to Ephantus J. Muturi.

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Muturi, E.J., Jacob, B.G., Kim, CH. et al. Are coinfections of malaria and filariasis of any epidemiological significance?. Parasitol Res 102, 175–181 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0779-1

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