Loa loa Infection in Pregnant Women, Gabon

Abstract

Loa loa, the African eye worm, is a filarial pathogen of Central African rainforest regions. As of 2013, it had affected an estimated 2–3 million persons in Central Africa (1,2). Adult worm migrations in humans may intermittently cause Calabar swelling, and microfilariae are commonly found in blood and body fluids. Loiasis is a chronic infection persisting for many years; a considerable proportion of women in loiasis-endemic regions are infected during gestation. To date, the epidemiology of loiasis in pregnant women has not been investigated, and the effects of loiasis on maternal and fetal health outcomes are unknown. We investigated the epidemiology of loiasis in a cohort of pregnant women participating in a drug trial for preventing malaria during pregnancy.