How microfilariae know when it's night?

[Doctor]

How microfilariae know when it's night?

I read that it's hard to detect those due to their night activity. But, considering that they're hiding in out body, how do they know when it's night?

[Doctor]

I wonder if I can find answer anywhere.

[StringJunky]

The kind of search terms you want to use is 'microfilarial periodicity'. You could also add 'mechanism' to the search string. I found this:

Quote

The periodicity of microfilariae, which was first reported by Manson l881 [1] in China, has long been one of the research subjects that parasitologists are interested in. It is universally accepted that the periodicity of microfilariae, or the circadian rhythm of microfilariae, is due to the periodic migration of microfilariae between
the peripheral blood and the lung capillaries, that is, in the case of Wuchereria bancrofti in Japan, micro- filariae were found in the finger-prick blood at night but not daytime, when they were confined to the lungs (nocturnal periodicity). http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC3153149/

Edited August 15, 2014 by StringJunky