What are the symptoms of Loa loa?
If you have loiasis, you may have itchy, non-painful swellings of the body that come and go. The swellings can show up anywhere though they are more common near joints. You may develop an eye worm that crawls across the surface of your eye. Sometimes you may see a worm that crawls under your skin.
Is Loa loa a helminth?
Loa loa is a filarial helminth infection transmitted in the Central African rainforests by bites from the Chrysops fly, which can affect the skin and eyes (see also Chapter 54).
How is loiasis treated?
There are two medications that can be used to treat the infection and manage the symptoms. The treatment of choice is diethylcarbamazine (DEC), which kills the microfilariae and adult worms. Albendazole is sometimes used in patients who are not cured with multiple DEC treatments. It is thought to kill adult worms.
What kind of worms come out of your skin?
Tissue under the skin is infiltrated by developing larvae of the parasitic worm known as Dracunculus medinensis, or Guinea worm. A female worm ready to release larvae produces stinging elevated spots (papules), causing redness and itching of the skin.
What is the most common intestinal nematode of humans?
Ascaris lumbricoides is the largest and most common intestinal nematode of humans.
Where is loa loa found in the body?
Loa loa actually means “worm worm”, but is commonly known as the “eye worm”, as it localizes to the conjunctiva of the eye. Loa loa is commonly found in Africa. It mainly inhabits rain forests in West Africa and has native origins in Ethiopia….
| Loa loa | |
|---|---|
| Family: | Onchocercidae |
| Genus: | Loa |
| Species: | L. loa |
| Binomial name |
Where does loiasis come from and what causes it?
CDC twenty four seven. Loiasis, called African eye worm by most people, is caused by the parasitic worm Loa loa. It is passed on to humans through the repeated bites of deerflies (also known as mango flies or mangrove flies) of the genus Chrysops. The flies that pass on the parasite breed in certain rain forests of West and Central Africa.
What are the most common symptoms of loiasis disease?
The most common manifestations of the disease are Calabar swellings and eye worm. Calabar swellings are localized, non-tender swellings usually found on the arms and legs and near joints.
What are the synonyms for the word loiasis?
Synonyms for the disease include Loaiasis, Loaina, Loa loafilariasis, Filarialoa, Filarialacrimalis, Filariasubconjunctivalis, Calabar swellings, Fugitive swellings, Loaina, and Microfilaria diurnal. [10]
How does Loa loa disease spread from human to human?
Disease. The deerflies (genus Chrysops) that pass Loa loa on to humans bite during the day. If a deerfly eats infected blood from an infected human, the larvae (non-adult parasites) will infect cells in its abdomen. After 7–12 days the larvae develop the ability to infect humans. Then the larvae move to the mouth parts of the fly.