The chemotherapy of onchocerciasis V. A standard method for the determination of microfilarial density in skin snips.

The microfilarial density in 400 skin snips from 100 patients was determined using the standard technique of the Onchocerciasis Chemotherapeutic Research Centre (OCRC method), the method used by the Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP method), and also after collagenase digestion. The OCRC method was fairly consistent and detected 84% of the total microfilariae. The OCP method gave a density which was consistently 20% less than the OCRC method, indicating that the increase in weight in skin snips following incubation in saline was fairly predictable. It is concluded that collagenase digestion is not worthwhile as a routine technique in chemotherapeutic trials, for which the OCRC method is recommended.