 |
| Fig. 33.4 Marked scrotal enlargement in elephantiasis.
(From Zaiman H, Jong EC: Parasitic diseases of the
skin and soft tissue. In Stevens DL, editor: Atlas of infectious
diseases, vol II, New York, 1995, Churchill Livingstone.) |
The term
elephantiasis is applied to many
dermatologic conditions that ultimately result in
severe lymphatic obstruction and stasis. The affected
limb may become massively enlarged, initially with
pitting edema but later with a woodlike induration.
The skin becomes discolored, and patches of warty
growths may eventually cover the entire affected
area. Lymphangitis and mechanical obstruction from
lymphatic filariasis is but one way of causing
elephantiasis. Offending organisms include
Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori.
The Brugia species cause elephantiasis of the
extremities most commonly, while
Wuchereria is notorious for
genital disease that may eventuate in massive scrotal
enlargement (Fig. 33-4).
