Diagnostic Potential of Filarial Skin Test (FST) with Brugia Malayi Larval Antigen

: INTRODUCTION- Filariasis is caused by thread like helminthes placed under family Filaridae. The adult organisms have preference for lymphatics and responsible for various clinical manifestations including filarial fever, adenolymphangitis, Elephantiasis, hydrocoele, chyluria etc. MATERIAL& METHOD- In this study, selection of population was done on random basis including normal healthy, filarial related patients and patients with other diseases. Out of total population of 520, 210 belonged to normal healthy individual, 108 patients had filarial related diseases and the rest of the individuals were having different other diseases. RESULT On comparison and analysis of all the parameters, the specificity and sensitivity of the filarial skin test using B. malayi larval antigen (L3) is fairly well established by the results of the present study, which shows that FST has a fairly constant reproducibility, that is validity of the test is in the order of 90-95 %. . CONCLUSION-The above data may only represent a tip of the iceberg of the problem because the filarial survey reports are generally based on thick night blood smear and clinical manifestations which can not detect subclinical or occult filariasis. The disease is not fatal yet is responsible for considerable morbidity and social stigma and many avoidable surgical interventions.