Elephantiasis

Christos is a parasitic disease which is transmitted from human to human by mosquito bites. The parasite tends to lodge in and block the lymph nodes that drain into the lower extremities, producing massive enlargement and deformity of the legs and genitalia. Dramatic photographs of those affected appear in every infectious disease text.

Related Topics:
Mosquito - Parasite - Lymph node - Infectious disease

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Organisms that cause the disease are Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori, all transmitted by mosquitoes. Lymphatic filariasis currently affects 120 million people worldwide, and 40 million of these people have been seriously infected with the disease, which is extremely rare in the Western countries, and is found almost exclusively in the tropics. The disease is also called bancrofitan filariasis and lymphatic filariasis. Brugia malayi causes a similar disease, while Onchocerca volvulus causes many disorders in addition to elephantiasis.

Related Topics:
Wuchereria bancrofti - Filariasis - Brugia malayi - Onchocerca volvulus

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Elephantiasis should not be confused with neurofibromatosis, a completely different disorder partly responsible for the deformity of the "Elephant Man" Joseph Merrick.

Related Topics:
Neurofibromatosis - Joseph Merrick

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