Bancroftian Filariasis in Puerto Rico: Infection Pattern and Tissue Lesions

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Abstract
Summary In a series of 330 autopsies of Puerto Rican males over 10 years of age systematically studied for filarial worms by a clearing technique, filarial lesions were found in the scrotal organs in 23.9% of the cases. The 79 filarial cases had from one to seven worms each in the cord, epididymis or testis, and only 6.1% of 191 worms found were morphologically intact. The incidence of filarial disease and its correlation with microfilaremia is discussed in the light of these data. Lesions of the tunica and cord occurred with progressive predominance in the older age groups in both filarial and non-filarial patients. However, the incidence of lesions of the genital organs (hydrocele, thickening of tunica vaginalis, etc.) was about twice as great in filarial as in non-filarial cases and the severity of the lesions was related to the number and location of the filarial worms, and the age of the patients. The disease pattern described here may represent a rather persistent subclinical form of Bancroftian filariasis in Puerto Rico.
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