1859
Due to parasitic nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and B. timori which is transmitted by mosquitoes.
Endemic will is in approximately 72 countries throughout the tropics, with an estimated 1.39 billion people at risk.
Approximately 40,000,000 people have clinical manifestations of the disease, with 15 million having elephantiasis, and 25 million men have genital swelling including scrotal hydrocele.
Affects approximately 120 million people in Africa, Asia, Pacific, and the Americas.
Adult filarial worms live in the lymphatic systems and cause lymphedema of the legs, elephantiasis, and hydrocele.