Where is filariasis most common?
Filariasis is most common in tropical climates. Countries in Asia, Africa and South America have higher cases of filariasis infection.
Which part of the body is first infected by elephantiasis?
The common name is often used because if you have it, your arms and legs can swell and become much bigger than they should be. Your sex organs and breasts may also swell up. The affected skin can thicken and harden to look something like an elephant’s skin. It’s more common in tropical or subtropical areas.
Where are filarial worms found?
The worms dwell within the lymphatic and subcutaneous tissues. Up to 170 million people worldwide in the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, and the islands of the Pacific are affected by this debilitating parasitic disease.
Who discovered filaria?
In 1863, French surgeon Jean-Nicolas Demarquay became the first to record the observation of microfilariae in fluid extracted from a hydrocoele (another common symptom of lymphatic filariasis). Three years later, Otto Henry Wucherer discovered microfilariae in urine in Brazil.
Is elephantiasis common in India?
Generally, the most common clinical form of the disease is hydrocele, with lymphoedema and elephantiasis occurs less commonly. In India and neighbouring countries, both hydrocele and lymphoedema are common. Other forms of the disease such as tropical pulmonary eosinophilia and chyluria occur less frequently.
What countries have elephantiasis?
Lymphatic filariasis remains endemic in 13 countries and areas in the Region: American Samoa, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa and Tuvalu.
What is elephant leg?
an abnormality of the human lymphatic system in which blockage of the lymph ducts causes gross swellings of the surrounding tissues, often resulting in limbs that appear like those of an elephant.
What causes elephant legs in humans?
Causes. Elephantiasis is caused by under-treatment of lymphedema, and due to the obstruction of the lymph vessels of the lymphatic system. As lymph moves through the lymphatic system, it is filtered by a network of small structures known as lymph nodes that help to remove microorganisms (e.g., viruses, bacteria, etc.)
How did filariasis start?
Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. Infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. Infection is usually acquired in childhood causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system.
Who first discovered that the life cycle of filarial worms involves mosquitoes?
In 1901, Thomas Bancroft then demonstrated the presence of filariae in the proboscis of the mosquito [61], thereby implicating mosquitoes in the direct transmission of filariae to humans through feeding.
Is filaria a Indian?
Trend and present endemicity of the filariasis in India About 31 million people are estimated to be harbouring microfilaria (mf) and over 23 million suffer from filaria disease manifestations. State of Bihar has highest endemicity (over 17%) followed by Kerala (15.7%) and Uttar Pradesh (14.6%).
Can elephant leg be cured?
Lymphatic filariasis, also called elephantiasis tropica, is one of the world’s leading causes of permanent and long-term disability. The disease can’t be cured, although recent studies show tetracycline-based antibiotics could be helpful, particularly in the early stages.