Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a severe form of filariasis (see this term), caused by the parasitic worms <i>Wuchereria bancrofti</i>, <i>Brugia malayi</i> and <i>Brugia timori</i>, and the most common cause of acquired lymphedema worldwide. LF is endemic to tropical and subtropical regions. The vast majority of infected patients are asymptomatic but it can also cause a variety of clinical manifestations, including limb lymphedema, genital anomalies (hydrocele, chylocele), elephantiasis in later stages of the disease (frequently in the lower extremities), and tropical pulmonary eosinophilia (nocturnal paroxysmal cough and wheezing, weight loss, low-grade fever, adenopathy, and pronounced blood eosinophilia). Renal involvement (hematuria, proteinuria, nephritic syndrome, glomerulonephritis), and mono-arthritis of the knee or ankle joint have also been reported.
Incidental detection of microfilariae in a lymph node aspirate: A case report.
Sabageh D, Oguntola AS, Oguntola AM, Bajowa OO. Niger Med J. 2014;55(5):438-40.
This case demonstrates that lymphatic filariasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lymph node swellings in the groin and that aspiration cytology may play an important role in its diagnosis, especially in an endemic resource poor country.
