Filarial infections.

The seven filarial parasites of humans infect over 100 million people worldwide. These parasites are long lived, with adults living an average of 10 to 15 years and the microfilaria, probably 6 to 12 months. Importantly, as with most other helminth parasites, there is no replication of the adult parasite within the human host so that the extent of infection (that is, the number of adult worms one has) never increases after one leaves an endemic region and ceases to be exposed to the insect-borne infective larvae. This article will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of filarial infections, as well as some recent clinical advances.