What are the filarial worms?
Filarial worms are parasitic nematodes that dwell within the lymphatics and the subcutaneous tissues of up to 170 million people worldwide. Among the eight filarial infections of humans, those that cause loiasis, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis are important causes of morbidity.
Where are filarial worms found?
The adult worms only live in the human lymph system. The lymph system maintains the body’s fluid balance and fights infections. Lymphatic filariasis affects over 120 million people in 72 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and parts of the Caribbean and South America.
How do you treat filarial worms?
The main goal of treatment of an infected person is to kill the adult worm. Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC), which is both microfilaricidal and active against the adult worm, is the drug of choice for lymphatic filariasis. The late phase of chronic disease is not affected by chemotherapy.
What do hookworms look like on the skin?
Creeping eruption is a skin infection caused by hookworms. Hookworms are found in dogs and cats. Exposure to moist sand that has been contaminated by dog or cat feces can cause creeping eruption. Creeping eruption appears as a winding, snake-like rash with blisters and itching.
What causes worms to come out of skin?
Ingestion of contaminated water causes the larvae to migrate from the intestines via the abdominal cavity to the tissue under the skin. The larvae mature and release a toxic substance that makes the overlying skin ulcerate. After treatment, symptoms disappear and the worms can be safely removed from the skin.
Which antibiotic is best for filariasis?
The antibiotic doxycycline is known to be effective against filariasis caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, but more than half of cases in South-East Asia are caused by Brugia malayi.
What is a filarial worm?
filarial worm, any of a group of parasitic worms of the family Filariidae (phylum Nematoda) that usually require two hosts, an arthropod (the intermediate host) and a vertebrate (the primary host), to complete the life cycle. The larval phase occurs within the body of a biting insect. The mature filarial worm | nematode | Britannica
What is the larval stage of a filariidae?
filarial worm, any of a group of parasitic worms of the family Filariidae (phylum Nematoda) that usually require two hosts, an arthropod (the intermediate host) and a vertebrate (the primary host), to complete the life cycle. The larval phase occurs within the body of a biting insect.
What is another name for filariidae?
Alternative Title: Filariidae. Filarial worm, any of a group of parasitic worms of the family Filariidae (phylum Nematoda) that usually require two hosts, an arthropod (the intermediate host) and a vertebrate (the primary host), to complete the life cycle.
What is ‘filariasis’?
The disease initiated by this parasite is called ‘wuchereriasis’, commonly called ‘filariasis’. Filarial worm live in the lymphatic system of human being, where they obstruct the flow of lymph, causing a severe condition termed as ‘elephantiasis’ in which the limbs or other body parts grow to enormous size.