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Seroconversion to Filarial Antigens in Australian Defence Force Personnel in Timor-Leste

To investigate whether Australian soldiers were exposed to filarial parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis during a 6-month deployment to Timor-Leste, antifilarial antibody levels were measured in 907 soldiers using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Initial testing using Dirofilaria immitis antigen demonstrated that 49 of 907 (5.4%) soldiers developed antifilarial antibodies of the IgG1 subclass after deployment, whereas 1 of 944 (0.1%) seroconverted to the IgG4 subclass. When a sub sample of 88 D. immitis-reactive sera was subject to testing with an antifilarial antibody test using Brugia malayi antigen, 46 had elevated IgG antibodies, whereas 5 had elevated antibodies of the IgG4 subclass. A total of 24 soldiers seroconverted to B. malayi, as measured by parasite-specific IgG, whereas 1 seroconverted to IgG4. The relatively low number of seroconversions indicates a low but measurable risk of exposure to human filarial parasites among Australian soldiers deployed to Timor-Leste. However, to reduce the risk of exposure to these parasites, soldiers deploying to endemic areas should practice strict adherence to personal protective measures against mosquito bites.

Received January 18, 2007. Accepted for publication January 18, 2008.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank the Commanding Officers and men of the two battalion groups who participated in this study. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Defence Health Service (Australia) or any extant health policy.

^* Address correspondence to Stephen P. Frances, AMI, Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4051. E-mail: steve.frances{at}defence.gov.au

Authors’ addresses: Stephen P. Frances and Lisa M. Baade, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, Queensland, 4051, Australia. Joseph Kubofcik and Thomas B. Nutman, Helminth Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0425. Wayne D. Melrose, Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia. James S. McCarthy, Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Michael D. Nissen, University of Queensland, Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia.