Comparative morphology of Mansonella ozzardi microfilariae from Colombia and Haiti. A light microscope study.

Comparative morphological studies were conducted at the light microscope level to determine whether any difference could be detected in thin smears, thick smears, or Knott samples, between Colombian (simuliid-transmitted) and Haitian (culicoid-transmitted) Mansonella ozzardi microfilaria. Results indicated that the microfilariae from these two geographical areas are essentially identical. The small differences observed in the dimensions of microfilariae in thick and in thin smears can be attributed to different preparative procedures. The consistent morphological differences, noted in PAS-hematoxylin-stained microfilariae, from Knott smears, was that the central body was thinner and stained less intensely with the Schiff reagent in the Haitian than in the Colombian microfilariae. Although these observations suggest a physiological difference between these two forms, additional studies are needed to exclude the possibility that these differences are not indications of the age or a state of physiological activity of the microfilariae.