Breast filariasis

Filariasis is a global health problem and is a major social and economical burden in tropical countries in Asia, Africa and few of the South American countries [1,2]. In india, filariasis endemic in number of states including Bihar, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is found chiefly along the banks of rivers and sea coastal areas. We present a case of 28 year female patient who presented with lump in her left breast for three months and was not associated with pain or discharge from nipple. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) showed live adult filarial worm along with various stages of filariasis such as microfilaria, adult filaria and embryonated eggs of adult gravid female worm. In the world the largest number of filarial cases occur in India and about 600 million people live in endemic areas. Despite the huge number of people affected worldwide, it is quite rare to find microfilaria in routine cytological smears and body fluids. Filariasis of the breast is an uncommon condition and can cause a diagnostic dilemma. Hence, a high index of suspicion, particularly in patient from endemic areas, should be kept in mind so as to avoid surgical measures.