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guinea worm
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life cycle of the guinea worm guinea worm disease water flea (Cyclops)
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life cycle of the guinea worm
life cycle of the guinea worm

guinea worm

nematode
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Also known as: Dracunculus medinensis, dragon worm, medina worm
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Also called:
medina worm or dragon worm
guinea worm disease
guinea worm diseaseA female guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) emerging from the leg of a person suffering from guinea worm disease.

guinea worm, (Dracunculus medinensis), member of the phylum Nematoda. The guinea worm, a parasite of humans, is found in tropical regions of Asia and Africa and in the West Indies and tropical South America. A variety of other mammals are also parasitized by guinea worms. The disease caused by the worm is called guinea worm disease (or dracunculiasis).

water flea (Cyclops)
water flea (Cyclops)Water fleas (Cyclops) carry the guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis).

The female grows to a length of 50 to 120 cm (about 20 to 48 inches), while the male (which is rarely found because it dies upon mating within a human or other host) measures only 12 to 29 mm (about 0.5 to 1.1 inches). Both sexes live in the connective tissue of various organs of the host. Females may live for 10 to 14 months. The female bores close to the skin surface, at which point a blister develops and finally bursts. Millions of larvae are released with the blister fluid. If the larvae are discharged into a watery medium, they are eaten by water fleas (Cyclops), which are a type of crustacean. They develop in the crustacean’s body into larvae capable of infecting humans.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.