Acute myeloid leukemia with microfilaria: An uncommon finding

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the aberrant proliferation of myeloid cells in the bone marrow. Shortness of breath, easy bruising or bleeding, frequent infections, and exhaustion are some of the symptoms. Filariasis, a parasitic disease caused by filarial worms (nematodes), is transmitted by mosquito bites from infected people and causes elephantiasis, hydrocele, lymphedema, and chronic lymphatic dysfunction. Microfilariae were discovered in the peripheral blood smear and bone marrow smear of a 63-year-old woman who was diagnosed with AML. Interestingly, eosinophilia did not accompany this occurrence. This example underscores the importance of considering filariasis even in the absence of typical clinical symptoms and the need for a comprehensive microscopic examination to detect uncommon features, such as microfilariae, in patients with AML. This coexistence of filariasis and AML poses diagnostic challenges, as eosinophilia may not be a reliable indicator.