Dracunculus medinensis

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Dracunculus medinensis

• Guinea Worm
• Daniel Jackson

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Description

• One of the largest nematodes, males are
  approximately 40 mm long and females are 80 cm
  long
• May be transitional between parasites of
  digestive tract and filarial parasites of tissues

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Transmission

• Intermediate Host copepod
• Small crustacean
• Most benthic
• Some planktonic
• Definitive Host human

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Life Cycle Overview
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Life Cycle
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Life Cycle cont...
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Location

• Located in parts of Asia, parts of central and
  eastern Africa, Brazil, Indonesia and Fiji
• Correlation to areas of infection with
  availability of water
• Usually take place near end of dry seasons

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Symptoms

• Asymptomatic for about a year
• A few days or hours before rupture has occurred
• Fever
• Swelling
• Pain
• Usually undetectable by blood or skin biopsy
  until skin has ruptured
• When the wound appears, abscesses, tetanus,
  septic arthritis or systemic sepsis (can be
  fatal)

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Treatment and Prevention

• Treatment
• Mebendazole can be used as an anti-inflammatory
  but it often leads to migration of the nematode
• Dracunculus medinensis can be surgically removed
  before ulcer forms
• Prevention
• Always filter drinking water
• Prevent infected hosts with Dracunculus
  medinensis from entering water sources used for
  drinking
• Boiling and chlorine treated water kills
  intermediate hosts

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Wonderful Pictures
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Citations

• http//ucdnema.ucdavis.edu/imagemap/nemmap/ent156h
  tml/nemas/dracunculusmedinensis
• http//maven.smith.edu/sawlab/fgn/pnb/dracmed.htm
  l