ABSTRACT
In subtropical and tropical countries hydroceles may be secondary to the same etiologic factors as the temperate climates. However, more frequently they are secondary to nematodal, trematodal, protozoal, mycotic, or bacterial infections, for example, leprosy. Filariasis is an infection produced by filaroid worms which are responsible for some of the most important and widespread helminthic diseases in man. The reproductive capacity of the female worm has not been determined, although more than 150 million microfilariae have been calculated in patients. The sheathed bancrofti microfilariae circulate in the bloodstream and show a marked nocturnal periodicity, with a maximum number appearing between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The disease occurs in Africa and also in Central and South America, where it was brought from Africa as a result of the slave trade.
