Question
DEC provocation test
Answer
The DEC (Diethylcarbamazine) provocation test is used to enhance the detection of microfilariae (particularly Wuchereria bancrofti) in peripheral blood when routine nocturnal blood collection is impractical.
Principle: a single oral dose of DEC (a filaricidal drug) is given during the daytime, when circulating microfilarial density is normally lowest (due to nocturnal periodicity); DEC provokes rapid mobilization of microfilariae from the pulmonary capillary bed into peripheral circulation within about 15–60 minutes, allowing detection on a blood smear taken shortly afterward.
Procedure: a test dose of DEC is administered orally; peripheral blood samples are taken at set intervals (e.g., 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes) and examined microscopically for microfilariae.
Significance: provides a practical alternative to inconvenient midnight blood collection; less commonly used now given the availability of the circulating filarial antigen (CFA) test, which is entirely independent of periodicity or provocation.

