Evaluation of a novel biplex rapid diagnostic test for antibody responses to Loa loa and Onchocerca volvulus infections in Congo (2022-2023)

Treatment is challenging, particularly in regions where onchocerciasis, another type of filariasis, is also prevalent. We tested a new kind of test that can detect both diseases at once and compared its performance with a previously available test for loiasis.

We took blood samples from 971 people living in an area of Congo where loiasis is endemic. Out of the participants, 35.4% had L. loa pre-larvae in the blood – known as microfilariae, and 72.0% had experienced loiasis-related signs. The new test demonstrated promise in detecting the disease, albeit with some likelihood of false positives.