Medical Filaria: Why Lymphoedema Develops After Adult Worms Die

[rajeshmarndi]

why after the filaria adult worms die you are prone to develop lymphoedema, instead one should get rid of the worm and the disease.

when one take medicine for filaria, it only kill the micro filaria in the blood and seems there is no lymphoedema as long the adult worm live in the lymphatic system. But lymphodema start once the adult worm live its lifespan and dies. Why?

Thanks.

 

[HallsofIvy]

When the worms die, their bodies don't just disappear! They stay in the lymph nodes and rot.

 

[rajeshmarndi]

Thanks for the reply.

Is a filaria patient who is under medication i.e microfilaria only in the blood get killed, but the adult worms are unaffected and remain in his lymphatic system. Is he also capable to spread the worm through mosquito bite?

When the worms die, their bodies don't just disappear! They stay in the lymph nodes and rot.

But other parasite/bacteria e.g malaria parasite are killed and removed from the body.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

why after the filaria adult worms die you are prone to develop lymphoedema, instead one should get rid of the worm and the disease.

when one take medicine for filaria, it only kill the micro filaria in the blood and seems there is no lymphoedema as long the adult worm live in the lymphatic system. But lymphodema start once the adult worm live its lifespan and dies. Why?

Thanks.

The reason is that lymphedema (LE) is not caused directly by the living worm, but by a T cell mediated immune response to filarial antigen mostly released when the worms die. There are also secondary bacterial infections which either alone or together with the primary infection, stimulate the release of growth factors which can interfere with the normal generation of lymph vessels. Neonates born in endemic areas will have heavy pathogen loads, but few symptoms because of acquired factors which down-regulate the immune response. LE, in the extreme case, can cause grotesque deformities in the lower extremities (elephantiasis). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2784903/