Facilitation in Anopheles and spontaneous disappearance of filariasis: has the concept been verified with sufficient evidence?

Abstract

The validity of recently much argued phenomenon of facilitation in the transmission of filariasis was considered by examining previously published papers. It was concluded that there was no clear evidence to support the existence of facilitation and facilitation-based unstable equilibrium in relation to microfilaria prevalence and density in human population below which filariasis would spontaneously disappear, even when the vector was Anopheles mosquitoes. Instead, the existence of a critical level of man/mosquito contacts for the disappearance of filariasis was suggested.