General Information

COMMON NAMES: Filarial Worm, Non-periodic Filarial Worm COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; Land, blood parasite of people SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Disease causing - serious

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+	+	+	+	+	+

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P

Wuchereria bancrofti (Cobbold, 1877)
SYNONYMS: Filaria bancrofti; Wuchereria bancrofti var. pacifica

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; NEMATODA; SECERNENTEA (=Phasmidia); Spirurida; Filarioidea; FILARIIDAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Disease causing - serious. Comments: The most serious disease in pre-European Contact times in Eastern Polynesia. It was spread by the Polynesian Mosquito Aedes polynesiensis. The disease remained serious in the post-Contact period. Mass medication and mosquito control around dwellings made it a rare disease by the 1980s, and it was essentially eliminated by early 2000. The mosquitoes transmit infective larvae to people when they suck blood. The larvae settle into the lymph nodes and grow into slender worms. The worms breed and produce microfilaria (=embryo-worms). Mosquitoes suck up some microfilaria with their blood-meal, and they develop into infective larvae inside the mosquito. Most microfilaria are not taken by mosquitoes and when they die and disintegrate they release toxins causing the fever and rashes associated with the disease Filariasis. As mosquitoes deliver more infective larvae to a person more and more worms accumulate in the lymph nodes until they are blocked and the limbs become swollen with lymph fluid. This condition is known as Elephantiasis or Big Limbs.

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: reported by Dr Steve Kennier, 1980s, as very common, of 300 surveyed 60 (22%) had microfilaria, 12 had hydrocoele, and 5 gross symptoms.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM05a

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