Investigations #3

Today in my Animal Physiology class, I saw a picture of a person who had severe swelling of the feet. I was shocked and intrigued at the same time, so I decided to do a little investigation about a disease called elephantiasis. The disease also known as lymphatic filariasis affects over 90 million people in the world, particularly in the tropical and subtropical parts of the world. The disease is characterized by edema with thickening tissues, especially in the legs, arms, and the genitals.

The disease is transmitted by Filarial worms that are ingested by arthropod vectors like mosquitoes, which would then be transmitted to humans when they bite humans for blood. The infection causes a great inflammatory immune response, which results in the development of symptomatic lymphatic obstruction. The larvae of the Filarial worms migrate towards the lymphatic vessels where they would develop to adult worms. The full mechanism of this disease is still not completely understood. However, it is known that there is an increase in the levels of IgE and IgG4. In addition, people who are infected with this disease have been found to have an impaired lymphocyte proliferation response to the Filarial worms and have defects in the antigen-presenting cells function. Studies have found that genetic polymorphism in the parasite and/or host may influence the susceptibility to the infection.

Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine that is available for this disease. People who live in areas that are at risk of the disease would be given two drugs annually – albendazole with invermectin or with diethylcarbamazine citrate – to prevent the spread of the infection. Although the disease is rarely fatal, it is important to treat the disease early to prevent severe disability.

Works Cited

King, C.L. Transmission intensity and human immune responses to lymphatic filariasis. Parasite Immunology 2001; 23.

Wayangankar, S. [Internet] Filariasis; 2013 [Cited 2014 April 4]. Available from: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/217776-overview#a0156

World Health Organization [Internet]. WHO; 2014 [Cited 2014 April 4]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs102/en/