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All about the Freaky Guinea Worm Disease

Dracunculiasis is a tropical disease caused by disgusting parasitic worm called Dracunculus medinensis aka guinea worm. This nickname precipitates the common name for this disease - Guinea worm disease. Of all the known possible parasitic worms, this particular one is the largest. Measuring 2 to 2.5 feet in length, the female adult guinea worm is almost 1/10 of an inch in diameter and can carry several million worm embryos.

What Happens to Infected People

A person infected with these worms can expect quite a bit of pain. This parasitic worm travels through the tissues just below the skin and the pain can be excruciating, particularly near the joint areas. In a large majority of these infected cases, the guinea worm will eventually materializes at the feet. The site where this worm erupts from forms an ulcer-type of edema which is a painful accumulation of fluids. Vomiting, fever and nausea accompany this edema.

People with these worms may try to head to the nearest watering hole to immerse their feet in the hopes of relieving the itching pain. What this water does is stimulate the female worm in the ulcerated area to release her larvae which then infects the water source. These little larvas can live in the water for at least a few days.

How the Larva Meet Humans

The guinea worm larvae released into the water source are typically gobbled up by water fleas, particularly one called the Cyclops which can be found all over the world. These Cyclops water fleas measure up to 1/10 of an inch and once they ingest the guinea worm larvae, the larvae takes up to two weeks to get to the infectious stage.

When a person drinks water contaminated with these fleas, the intense stomach acids dissolve the flea itself leaving behind the larvae to spread and travel through the intestinal wall. Approximately three months later, the female and male larva join up to mate and then the male dies off, encapsulated in body tissues. The impregnated female on the other hand travels about the muscles, causing a painful path. A year after first becoming infected, the human host is finally rid of the female worm when it erupts from the skin, typically around the feet. These new little larvae that are pushed out kick off the cycle of infection all over again.

Treatment Options

Unfortunately, there is no cure or treatment for this freaky Guinea worm disease. It cannot be prevented but the good news is that it is rarely fatal. However, people who get these worms that cause the Dracunculiasis aka Guinea worm disease, could be laid up for months due to several things:

1. Usually more than one worm must be expelled and they do not typically happen at the same time.

2. Migration path of the worm or worms are sometimes in very delicate or sensitive areas causing extreme pain.

3. Secondary infections, usually bacterial in origin, are common at the site where the worm is expelled.

This disease can be easily prevented by making water safe to drink as Guinea worm disease can only be contracted with the ingestion of the water flea. If filtering methods were available to the people who get their water from contaminated sources, the number of cases of Dracunculiasis would greatly decrease. Simple nylon mesh or other filters at least 0.15 millimeters can effectively filter out the water flea culprit.