Filariasis in an alcoholic male-coincidental or causal association?

Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes that carry minute, thread-like worms. There are usually no signs or symptoms to be seen in patients with this disease for the most part. Some people, however, develop a condition called elephantiasis, which is marked by severe swelling in the arms, legs, breasts, or genitals. We here descibe an interesting case of a 40-year-old alcoholic brought to the emergency department with an alleged history of injury and incidentally found to have microfilariasis after a thorough blood smear screening. This case illustrates the need for smear evaluation in diagnosing microfilariasis and also begs whether these patients may be more susceptible to parasitic infections due to their impaired immune system.