Endemic non-filarial elephantiasis in Iringa District, Tanzania: a study of 30 patients

Abstract

Endemic non-filarial elephantiasis has not yet been described in the central tableland of Tanzania. We report the results of a clinical study in Tosamaganga Hospital, located in the middle of Tanzania (Iringa District). 30 patients with elephantiasis of the lower limbs were studied parasitologically (by blood smears) and clinically. Inguinal lymph nodes were removed from 10 patients and histologically examined. The mineral content of soil samples collected from 4 different areas of the region was assayed by X-ray fluorescence. The clinical, histological, parasitological and epidemiological data prompted us to conclude that in these patients elephantiasis was not of the filarial type, and that endemic non-filarial elephantiasis is present in the Central District of Tanzania.