Filariasis

 

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Original Editors - Kim McMillin from Bellarmine University's Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems project.

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Definition/Description

Lymphatic filariasis is a disease associated with parasitic infection of one of three different nematodes: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, or Brugia timori. The microscopic worms enter the human body via mosquito transmission- in both children and adults- and can live up to 5-7 years in the lymphatic system. Although most people who are infected are asymptomatic, a small percentage of people will develop extreme lymphedema and multiple secondary infections as a result of years of exposure to the parasites. (CDC)

Wuchereria bancrofti. Image credit: CDC

        

Brugia malayi. Image credit: CDC

Prevalence

It is estimated that more than 120 million people in 80 countries worldwide are currently infected with one of the three nematodes. Greater than 90% of those 120 million people are infected with the Wuchereria bancrofti filaria, and the majority of the remaining ~10% are infected with the Brugia malayi filaria. Reports also suggest that more than 40 million people are significantly dibilatated and disfigured by the disease. (Lymphatic filariasis: the disease and its control. Fifth report of the WHO Expert Committee on Filariasis. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser 1992; 821:1.)

Worldwide distribution of Lymphatic Filariasis. Image credit: CDC

Lymphatic filariasis is endemic is the tropic and sub-tropics of Southeast Asia, Africa, the India Subcontinent, the Pacific islands, and parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. (CDC; Ngwira BM, Jabu CH, Kanyongoloka H, et al. Lymphatic filariasis in the Karonga district of northern Malawi: a prevalence survey. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2002; 96: 137.)

Characteristics/Clinical Presentation

The majority of people who become infected with filariasis do not show any overt clinical signs or symptoms, although they will experience irregularities in their lymphatic drainage. It is estimated that only one-third of those infected by any of the filarial nematodes show obvious clinical features of the condition. Experts have attributed the severity of symptoms as being positively correlated with extended time of exposure and accumulation of worms.

Credit: www.TropIKA.net

Credit: CDC

Associated Co-morbidities

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Medications

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Diagnostic Tests/Lab Tests/Lab Values

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Etiology/Causes

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Systemic Involvement

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Medical Management (current best evidence)

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Physical Therapy Management (current best evidence)

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Alternative/Holistic Management (current best evidence)

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Differential Diagnosis

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Case Reports/ Case Studies

Barreto SG, Rodrigues J, & Pinto RGW. Filarial granuloma of the testicular tunic mimicking a testicular neoplasm: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2008; 2(321).  Available at: http://jmedicalcasereports.com/content/2/1/321

Cengiz N, Savaş L, Uslu Y, Anarat A. Filariasis in a child from southern Turkey: a case report. Turk J Pediatr. 2006 Apr-Jun;48(2):152-4. 

Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16848117

Kapoor AK, Puri SK, Arora A, Upreti L, Puri AS. Case report: Filariasis presenting as an intra-abdominal cyst. Indian J Radiol Imaging 2011;21:18-20.  

Available at: http://www.ijri.org/text.asp?2011/21/1/18/76048

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lymphaticfilariasis/epi.html

Tropical Disease Research: http://www.TropIKA.net

World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs102/en/

Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)

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References

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