ipl-logo

Taxonomy: The Loa Worm

706 Words3 Pages

The taxonomy of the loa loa starts at the domain “eukaryota,” then the kingdom “animalia,” then the phylum “nematoda,” then the class “chromadorea,” then the order “spirurida,” then the family “onchocercidae,” then the genus “Loa,” and finishes at the species “loa.”
2.) The common name for the Loa Loa worm is the “African eye worm.”
3.) The loa loa worm typically looks like this thin, long, and white worm. The defining characteristics are the thinness and length of their bodies. They are so thin, some infected people can see them fit under the top layers of their skin and eyes. The main difference between the males and females are that the males are normally smaller than the females (about 30-34 mm in length and .35-.43 mm in diameter). The …show more content…

6.) The loa loa causes the disease loiasis.
7.) This disease is predominantly found in Africa.
8.) Symptoms for this disease are not common for most people. People who are infected may experience swelling near joints, on legs, and on arms. Along with the swelling, itching either near the swollen spots or all over the body can potentially happen too. However, itching all over the body can happen by itself too; it can occur without swelling. Other external symptoms include tiredness, joint and muscle pain, and hives. People can also experience an internal symptom of eye worm, a visible movement of the worm moving in the eye. Light sensitivity, itching, pain, and eye congestion can all happen with the eye worm.
9.) The main hosts of the loa loa and loiasis are deer flies. These flies are also referred to as mango flies or mangrove flies and they can breed the disease/worm. The other main hosts for the loa loa are …show more content…

The loa loa will develop in the fly's abdomen and then move to the mouth parts of the fly. Then, when the fly bites a human, the skin is broken and the loa loa enters through there.
12.) Surgeries can be done to remove the worms from the skin and eyes, but that will not treat it. The best way to treat the disease and to get rid of the worms is through medications. Diethylcarbamazine is the main medication; it kills the adult worms and the babies (microfilariae). If a person has taken multiple treatments of the first medication but the disease still remains, then they take Albendazole which kills adult worms. These medications can be detrimental to people with heavy infections and then a specialist is required for treatment.
13.) Other interesting facts about the loa loa are an adult loa loa worm can live up to 17 years in the human body, microfilariae are produced in thousands per day by female worms, the microfilariae can live up to a year in the human body if it is not taken out by a fly, and the microfilariae spend most of their time in the lungs but around midday they travel into the

Show More
Related
471 Words | 2 Pages

Prior to the experiment, two empty vials were prepared the food for the flies: a scoop of dry food was obtained with 1.5ml volumes of water, and soaked for few minutes. Next a few granules of yeast were added and the vials were labeled with the initials, date and the cross (Figure 1). To produce new offspring females needs to be virgin: virgin females were obtained by removing all the adult flies and allowing new generation to develop, it takes approximately 8-10 hours to emerge new flies. When the new generation flies appeared, they were gently tapped to bring the flies to the bottom of the vials and transferred into new vial. Using anesthetize drop, flies were anesthetized and were examined with a dissecting microscope: a soft brush was used to move the flies on the stage of the microscope to determine their phenotype: to produce a new offspring, female flies needed to be virgin, but not the males.

Read More
704 Words | 3 Pages

This case wasn’t cracked until 2001, nearly 140 years later. Bill martin and high school friend John Curtin discovered the Photorhabdus Luminescens residing in the guts of parasitic worms that hunt larvae in soil or mud by taking up residence in their blood cells and then “puking” inside killing the larvae from the inside out(Soniak). The vomit produces a number of chemicals kill insect hosts, preventing any type of infection and leaving behind a soft blue glow. The larvae had crawled inside of the soldiers wounds and left them living in history as literal glowing

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

A rash for dermatomyositis can be a violet-colored or dusty red rash that appears most commonly on a person’s face or eyelids, but it can also be found around a person’s nails, knuckles, elbows, back, chest and knees. Most of the time the first visual sign of dermatomyositis is a patchy bluish-purplish rash. Another sign of dermatomyositis is the progressive weakening of the muscles closest to the trunk of the body, such as: the hips, thighs, shoulders, upper arms, and neck. Over time this pain will gradually worsen, so the weakness will affect both the right and left sides of the

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Only the larva of this insect can actually eat cloth, the adults just don 't have the mandibles to do so. They have four life stages, the egg, larva, pupa and adult. The adults only live two to four weeks. The larva are attracted to animal products that contain keratin. This is a fibrous protein found in hair and skin.

Read More
506 Words | 3 Pages

The rash first appears on the wrist and the ankles then spreads in either directions up or down the legs and arms. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain that mimics appendicitis, deep muscle pain, lack of appetite, or red eyes. RMSF is transmitted to humans by a bite of a tick infected with the disease. When an infected tick bites and attaches itself to a human host for at least six to ten hours, transmission of the bacteria may occur. Destroying a tick with your fingers may also transmit the bacteria.

Read More
611 Words | 3 Pages

Trichinosis is an infection caused by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis or another Trichinella roundworm. These worm's usually enter the body when the host consumes raw or undercooked meat. This particular infection is not necessarily contagious, unless the infected muscle tissue is eaten. In humans, the larvae are ingested (taken in) and are released from a cyst by stomach acid which then grow and develop into female and male worm's. After the male and female mate, the larvae are then released into the bloodstream and distribute to the skeletal muscle cells.

Read More
610 Words | 3 Pages

Ascaris lumbricoides, or also known as the "giant roundworm" is a very common intestinal parasitic in humans. Adults worms and larvaes usually live in the small intestine and they are able to cause bowel disease. This "giant roundworm" lives in the intestine and their egg travel through feces of humans who are infected. The average size of adulthood is about 15-35 centimeters in length.

Read More
382 Words | 2 Pages

The tsetse fly is the most common fly in all of Africa, and because of this, it is able to transmit disease at an alarmingly rapid rate. Up to 300,000 people die every year because of the tsetse fly. Stay tuned for part two of our list of the world 's 10 deadliest insects,

Read More
923 Words | 4 Pages

Signs and Symptoms SJS is characterized by round, red papules that resemble insect bites. Within a short amount of time, these lesions change into varying sizes and patterns. They may become red with white centers that have papules on the center. This gives them a target-like appearance. Although they can be seen on any body surface area, they are usually seen on the face and trunk.

Read More
1076 Words | 5 Pages

– During the early stages of Lyme disease, many people develop a red, circular skin rash known as erythema migrans. The rash, which may be diffuse and hard to discern, may not always appear at the bite site, but elsewhere and can develop up to thirty days after being bitten. However, about one in three people infected with Lyme disease do not see a rash. Some people also have flu-like symptoms in the early stages, such as a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery, headaches, muscle and joint pain, tiredness and loss of energy. Not all tick bites cause Lyme disease.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

II. The symptoms may seem minuscule compared to the possible effects of this virus. a. Some people infected show no symptoms, when others do. 1. Some symptoms attributed to the virus are conjunctivitis (pink eye), eye pain, headache, itching, joint pain, low-grade fever, and rash.

Read More
1674 Words | 7 Pages

Symptoms of this plague were very disturbing and painful. Such symptoms as swellings in their groins and armpits that were the size of eggs. These swellings were black and filled with a black pus that would drain out of them (Galli 1). Other symptoms such as fevers, spitting up blood, and blisters on the skin (Pringle 3). However, the major symptoms were depression and a repugnant odor (Galli 1).

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

The main way that they got it was that they where all getting infected was by the food because they would nibel at the food and then they would eat it and so on and so forth.

Read More
949 Words | 4 Pages

THE AFRICAN LUNGFISH Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the African Lungfish and its characteristics. Central Idea: The characteristics of the African Lungfish can be quite misunderstood due to its name. There are many factors that make this type fish different from many that are known. INTRODUCTION I.

Read More
1647 Words | 7 Pages

Malaria is the most common disease in third world countries with a tropical climate; the disease is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

Read More

More about Taxonomy: The Loa Worm

Related Topics

Open Document