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Nematode - Dracunculus medinensis
Dracunculus medinensis (also called "Guinea worm")
Larvae infect microcrustaceans, called copepods, of the Cyclops* genus:
- Humans then ingest the microcrustaceans in drinking water.
- The larvae are released into the human gastrointestinal tract, and adult females move to the subcutaneous tissues to give birth.
- In the tissues, the females become enclosed in a vesicle that eventually produces an ulcer in the host's skin.
- The female protrudes part of her uterus through this opening, and, upon contact with water, releases her larvae to the external environment.
Image Credits:
CDC. Dracunculosis/Guinea Worm Disease. A Method Used to Extract a Guinea Worm from the Leg Vein of a Human Patient. 1968. Public Health Image Library #1342. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dracunculus_medinensis.jpg.
"Copepod." Wikipedia, October 13, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Copepod&oldid=863832149.
"Cyclops (Genus)." Wikipedia, October 24, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyclops_(genus)&oldid=865523974.
Medicine, National Museum of Health and. Dracunculus Medinensis (Guinea Worm) Removal (MIS 67-1563-6), National Museum of Health and Medicine. September 2, 2010. Photo. https://www.flickr.com/photos/medicalmuseum/4951109033/.