DISSEMINATED PLEURAL FILARIASIS IN A PATIENT FROM INDIA – A RARE CASE REPORT
SHEETAL GOENKA
Department of Microbiology, Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India.
MONIKA MATLANI *
Department of Microbiology, Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India.
VINITA DOGRA
Department of Microbiology, Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Lymphatic filariasis is an eradicable disease. It can cause disability which causes a lot of discomfort to the patients but the treatment given at the right time is very beneficial. Here we report a case of pleural filariasis with shortness of breath and cough in a 52-year-old male patient from Uttar Pradesh. The pleural fluid showed the presence of microfilaria. The patient responded to DEC and improved clinically. So it is essential to look for the presence of microfilaria both in the peripheral blood smear and the other body fluids depending on the clinical symptoms and signs. Proper treatment leads to improvement in the patient’s condition most of the time.
Keywords: Lymphatic filariasis, filarial nematode, parasitic infection, microfilaria