Published
IndeWorms danced in his scrotum
Bitten by a mosquito, a young man contracted a painful infection in his left testicle.
A 26-year-old man visited a clinic in New Delhi because his right testicle was tender and swollen. During an ultrasound, doctors were amazed to discover “linear structures” moving through the patient’s scrotum. These movements resembled a dance, explains Dr. Amit Sahu in the «New England Journal of Medicine». After removing the liquid, in order to carry out a microscopic examination, the specialists noted the presence of a horde of living worms. Their scientific name: Wuchereria bancrofti.
The patient was actually suffering from lymphatic filariasis, a tropical infection caused by parasitic worms transmitted by mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people worldwide suffer from this disease. The WHO says that if annual doses of antiparasitic drugs were distributed each year to people living in risk areas, this infection might be eradicated.
Doctors prescribed the young man a three-week antiparasitic treatment. When he returned to the hospital to be checked, the unwanted visitors had disappeared.
(joc)
