When a 26-year-old Indian man went to the hospital with pain and swelling in his testicles, he wasn’t expecting the discovery that was made. After running some tests, doctors found that his scrotum was filled with ‘dancing worms’. Medics managed to capture a footage of the worms swimming in the patient’s scrotum.
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Slimy cause
In the case study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, two doctors at the Max Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi wrote that the unnamed man came to the facility complaining about pain and swelling in his testicles. He had been experiencing associated fevers as well for a month prior to his visit to the hospital.
Upon examination, doctors observed that his scrotum – the bag of skin that holds the testicles – was tender and swollen. An ultrasound examination revealed the presence of very tiny thread-like worms in the scrotum. Blood tests confirmed the presence of the parasitic nematode species Wuchereria bancrofti, which belongs to the Filariodidea family.
Lymphatic filariasis
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an infection with this type of nematode could result in Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis. The condition is a neglected tropical disease transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. The WHO says on its website:
The painful and profoundly disfiguring visible manifestations of the disease, lymphoedema, elephantiasis and scrotal swelling occur later in life and can lead to permanent disability. These patients are not only physically disabled, but suffer mental, social and financial losses contributing to stigma and poverty.
In the case of the Indian man, doctors put him on a three-week course of the antiparasitic drug diethylcarbamazine. His symptoms have since resolved.
Sources used:
News Week: Parasitic Worms Hiding in Man's Scrotum Caught on Video
New York Post: Man with swollen testicle discovers ‘dancing’ worms living inside: doctors
WHO: Lymphatic filariasis
