Which mosquito spreads elephantiasis

An Aedes polynesiensis female mosquito taking a blood meal. Credit: Paddy Ryan. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address.

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There are many dangerous signs of infections, and you might not even realize you have been bitten or infested until some time later. A toxoplasmosis test toxoplasma test determines if the Toxoplasma gondii parasite has infected you. Learn about testing during pregnancy and more. Trichinosis is a disease caused by a roundworm infection. Learn about its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and how to prevent it.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What Is Elephantiasis? Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. What are the symptoms of elephantiasis? What causes elephantiasis? Risk factors for elephantiasis. Diagnosing elephantiasis. How is elephantiasis treated? It is a major cause of disability in endemic areas. When someone is bitten by an infected mosquito, microscopic larvae are left on the skin and can enter the person's body.

The larvae can then migrate to the lymph system , where they develop into mature roundworms and can live for years. People are usually infected with lymphatic filariasis in childhood but don't develop symptoms until later in life. About million people in the world are affected with elephantiasis, mainly in Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific and parts of the Caribbean and South America.

It usually takes repeated mosquito bites over several months or years in an area where lymphatic filariasis is common for a person to become infected. It is very rare to be infected after only visiting the area for a short time. Elephantiasis can make you more likely to get infections.

If you have elephantiasis, see your doctor straight away if you develop any swelling, thickening of the skin or signs of an infection. Elephantiasis is diagnosed with a blood test , which looks for the microscopic worms. The blood must be taken at night, when the worms are most active. However, the swelling may not happen until many years after the person is infected, so the lab tests are often negative. X-rays and ultrasounds might also be used to rule out other causes of the swelling.

Elephantiasis is treated with medicine to kill the microscopic worms. The medicine stops the infection from being passed on to other people, but it may not kill all the worms. An infected person will usually need to take the medicine for several weeks. Antibiotics , pain killers and antihistamines may also be prescribed to control the symptoms. Elephantiasis can be very upsetting, disabling and can stop you leading a normal life. It can contribute to stigma and poverty, but counselling and support groups may help.

Talk to your doctor about this.