Dirofilaria asiatica Infection and Asymptomatic Microfilaremia, Sri Lanka, 2025.
Dilini Mataraarachchi, Iroshini Abeysekara, Harsha Narammalage et al.
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Case in brief
During night blood surveillance for lymphatic filariasis in Sri Lanka in 2025, two people were found to have asymptomatic Dirofilaria microfilaremia. Partial sequencing of the microfilarial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene identified both infections as Dirofilaria asiatica, a species originally described in Hong Kong as Candidatus D. honkongensis. The report documents molecular identification of the infections in people without symptoms; the abstract does not describe treatment or clinical follow-up.
What made this case unusual
The infections were asymptomatic and detected incidentally during surveillance for lymphatic filariasis; molecular analysis identified D. asiatica in both cases.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Microfilariae detected during lymphatic filariasis surveillance may represent Dirofilaria infection; partial cytochrome c oxidase 1 sequencing can identify the species.