Did you mean: filarial elephantiasis
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The Nursing Clinics of North America Jun 2019Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a parasitic infection that is spread by mosquitos infected with worm larvae. Several factors will affect the global prevalence of LF in the... (Review)
Review
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a parasitic infection that is spread by mosquitos infected with worm larvae. Several factors will affect the global prevalence of LF in the future. A growing body of evidence suggests that climate change will influence the spread of parasitic diseases and their vectors. Lymphatic filariasis is the leading cause of permanent disfigurement and the second most common cause of long-term disability in the world.
Topics: Animals; Climate Change; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Disease Vectors; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Humans; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Prevalence
PubMed: 31027660
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2019.02.007 -
BMJ Case Reports Aug 2017Lymphatic filariasis is one of the most debilitating and disfiguring scourges among all diseases. This report presents a case of a woman with recurrent breast nodularity...
Lymphatic filariasis is one of the most debilitating and disfiguring scourges among all diseases. This report presents a case of a woman with recurrent breast nodularity after being previously operated for a suspected breast neoplasm. We would like to highlight the issue of similar clinical presentation of a filarial breast lump and other breast lesions leading to inappropriate therapy.
Topics: Adult; Breast Diseases; Diagnosis, Differential; Diethylcarbamazine; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Female; Filaricides; Humans; Mammography; Mastectomy, Segmental; Pain; Wolbachia
PubMed: 28835430
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2017-221536 -
Seminars in Immunopathology Nov 2012Although two thirds of the 120 million people infected with lymph-dwelling filarial parasites have subclinical infections, ~40 million have lymphedema and/or other... (Review)
Review
Although two thirds of the 120 million people infected with lymph-dwelling filarial parasites have subclinical infections, ~40 million have lymphedema and/or other pathologic manifestations including hydroceles (and other forms of urogenital disease), episodic adenolymphangitis, tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, lymphedema, and (in its most severe form) elephantiasis. Adult filarial worms reside in the lymphatics and lymph nodes and induce changes that result in dilatation of lymphatics and thickening of the lymphatic vessel walls. Progressive lymphatic damage and pathology results from the summation of the effect of tissue alterations induced by both living and nonliving adult parasites, the host inflammatory response to the parasites and their secreted antigens, the host inflammatory response to the endosymbiont Wolbachia, and those seen as a consequence of secondary bacterial or fungal infections. Inflammatory damage induced by filarial parasites appears to be multifactorial, with endogenous parasite products, Wolbachia, and host immunity all playing important roles. This review will initially examine the prototypical immune responses engendered by the parasite and delineate the regulatory mechanisms elicited to prevent immune-mediated pathology. This will be followed by a discussion of the proposed mechanisms underlying pathogenesis, with the central theme being that pathogenesis is a two-step process-the first initiated by the parasite and host innate immune system and the second propagated mainly by the host's adaptive immune system and by other factors (including secondary infections).
Topics: Adaptive Immunity; Animals; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Lymphedema
PubMed: 23053393
DOI: 10.1007/s00281-012-0346-4 -
BMJ Case Reports Feb 2018
Topics: Adult; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Female; Humans; Vulva; Vulvitis
PubMed: 29472427
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2018-224250 -
Infection, Genetics and Evolution :... Dec 2014Wuchereria bancrofti (Wb) is the most widely distributed of the three nematodes known to cause lymphatic filariasis (LF), the other two being Brugia malayi and Brugia... (Review)
Review
Wuchereria bancrofti (Wb) is the most widely distributed of the three nematodes known to cause lymphatic filariasis (LF), the other two being Brugia malayi and Brugia timori. Current tools available to monitor LF are limited to diagnostic tests targeting DNA repeats, filarial antigens, and anti-filarial antibodies. While these tools are useful for detection and surveillance, elimination programs have yet to take full advantage of molecular typing for inferring infection history, strain fingerprinting, and evolution. To date, molecular typing approaches have included whole mitochondrial genomes, genotyping, targeted sequencing, and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs). These studies have revealed much about Wb biology. For example, in one study in Papua New Guinea researchers identified 5 major strains that were widespread and many minor strains some of which exhibit geographic stratification. Genome data, while rare, has been utilized to reconstruct evolutionary relationships among taxa of the Onchocercidae (the clade of filarial nematodes) and identify gene synteny. Their phylogeny reveals that speciation from the common ancestor of both B. malayi and Wb occurred around 5-6 millions years ago with shared ancestry to other filarial nematodes as recent as 15 million years ago. These discoveries hold promise for gene discovery and identifying drug targets in species that are more amenable to in vivo experiments. Continued technological developments in whole genome sequencing and data analysis will likely replace many other forms of molecular typing, multiplying the amount of data available on population structure, genetic diversity, and phylogenetics. Once widely available, the addition of population genetic data from genomic studies should hasten the elimination of LF parasites like Wb. Infectious disease control programs have benefited greatly from population genetics data and recently from population genomics data. However, while there is currently a surplus of data for diseases like malaria and HIV, there is a scarcity of this data for filarial nematodes. With the falling cost of genome sequencing, research on filarial nematodes could benefit from the addition of population genetics statistics and phylogenetics especially in dealing with elimination programs. A comprehensive review focusing on population genetics of filarial nematode does not yet exist. Here our goal is to provide a current overview of the molecular epidemiology of W. bancrofti (Wb) the primary causative agent of LF. We begin by reviewing studies utilizing molecular typing techniques with specific focus on genomic and population datasets. Next, we used whole mitochondrial genome data to construct a phylogeny and examine the evolutionary history of the Onchocercidae. Then, we provide a perspective to aid in understanding how population genetic techniques translate to modern epidemiology. Finally, we introduce the concept of genomic epidemiology and provide some examples that will aid in future studies of Wb.
Topics: Animals; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Evolution, Molecular; Genetic Variation; Humans; Molecular Epidemiology; Molecular Typing; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Wuchereria bancrofti
PubMed: 25176600
DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2014.08.018 -
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 1987
Comparative Study
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Circadian Rhythm; Disease Vectors; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Filariasis; Histamine H1 Antagonists; Humans; Microfilariae; National Health Programs; Wuchereria bancrofti
PubMed: 2908187
DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02761987000800070 -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire May 2001
Topics: Africa; Animals; Asia, Southeastern; Brugia; Cost of Illness; Culicidae; Developing Countries; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Endemic Diseases; Global Health; Humans; Insect Vectors; South America; Tropical Climate; World Health Organization; Wuchereria bancrofti
PubMed: 11395916
DOI: No ID Found -
European Journal of Internal Medicine Oct 2017
Topics: Adult; Animals; Diethylcarbamazine; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Filaricides; Humans; Male; Skin Diseases, Parasitic
PubMed: 28238567
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2017.02.016 -
Annals of the New York Academy of... Dec 2002Our understanding of the pathogenesis of filarial lymphedema, although evolving, is still limited. Recurrent bacterial infections play a major role in the progression of... (Review)
Review
Our understanding of the pathogenesis of filarial lymphedema, although evolving, is still limited. Recurrent bacterial infections play a major role in the progression of lymphedema to elephantiasis, but the host and parasite factors that trigger disease development are not known. Field studies in Haiti show that lymphedema and host responses to parasite antigens cluster in families, consistent with the hypothesis that host genes influence lymphedema susceptibility. The recent recognition that filarial parasites harbor the endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia, also raises questions about the potential contribution of the inflammatory response to Wolbachia antigens to lymphedema development. In this review, we discuss potential risk factors for lymphedema and try to integrate these in a model of pathogenesis.
Topics: Animals; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Haiti; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Lymphedema; Wuchereria bancrofti
PubMed: 12543723
DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04874.x -
Tropical Doctor Jan 2001
Review
Topics: Diagnosis, Differential; Elephantiasis, Filarial; Female; Genitalia; Humans; Leg; Lymphedema; Male; Surgical Procedures, Operative
PubMed: 11205593
DOI: 10.1177/004947550103100102