The appearance of the posterior (tail) is quite important.
Is the tail:
- Blunt? (Mansonella perstans)
- Tapered to the tip? (Mansonella ozzardi)
Regarding the arrangement of the nuclei - do the nuclei extend:
- To the tip of the tail - as in Loa loa, Mansonella perstans, Mansonella streptocerca
- To the tip of the tail, but with widely separated subterminal and terminal nuclei in the tail - as in Brugia malayi, Brugia timori
- Or - not to the tip of the tail (tail is devoid of nuclei) - as in Wuchereria bancrofti, Onchocerca volvulus, Mansonella ozzardi
Note: The slender, pointed tail, tapered to the tip in Mansonella ozzardi is depicted in the image.
21. CDC/Moore. Detail of Image #1143. "This photomicrograph reveals some of the ultrastructural morphology exhibited at the posterior end of a parasitic, Mansonella ozzardi, microfilaria. M. ozzardi is one of two filarial nematodes responsible for causing what is known as, serous cavity filariasis in humans." PHIL public domain. Created 1979. Accessed April 6, 2023. https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=1143
