Dracunculiasis

Dracunculiasis

Specific Defense

• When the blister forms, the body notices the foreign antigens of the larvae and sends lymphocytes, specifically plasma cells to the opening.
• The plasma cells, which are modified B cells, release antibodies to help fight the pathogen.
• Internally, the worm is damaging the body as it wiggles through it to get through to the surface, causing the host increasing amounts of pain.

Source of Pathogens

Non-Specific defense

Special Characteristics

• The body's first line of defense is easily bypassed by the worm as it is ingested with water. It can release opiates that lessen pain and limit immune response. It can even use antigen cloaking and trick the host into thinking that it's part of its body. These abilities allow the worm to evade the body's second line of defense. Usually the only time there is a response is when the worm reproduces and expels it larvae through an opening it creates in the skin. When this happens, a blister is formed on the host, containing larvae along with the bodies own neutrophils and eosinophils.
• Symptoms include: fever, swelling, and pain at site. If the patient is left untreated, the pain can become disabling and the patient can receive permanent damage.

• Treatment: Normally, the wound is submerged in water which causes the worm to release the larvae, greatly relieving pain. Worms can be up to a meter long, so the process can take weeks. As more of it comes out, it is wrapped around a stick or gauze to maintain tension and cause more of it to come out. Once the worm is gone, the patient is cured.
• Since the peak transmission period often coincides with the agricultural season, fields are left untended and food production level goes down. It is called the "disease of empty granary" in Mali because of this. Dracunculiasis is nearing eradication because it easily preventable as it only has one mode of transmission which is contaminated drinking water. This can be easily avoided with education about safe drinking water and by having more communities provide more resources for safe drinking water

• Dracunculiasis , or guinea worm disease, is a parasitic disease where Dracunculus medinensis flatworms that are ingested feed off of the host and, when ready to reproduce, sprout out the surface of the skin to expel larvae.
• The first documented case of dracunculiasis was in the 15th century B.C. in Egypt. It is believed to have originated somewhere in Africa.
• The parasite initially infects small crustaceans found in water that is ingested by a human. Once the host drinks the water, the fleas are killed in the stomach but the larvae get through the stomach and intestines into the abdominal cavity.
• The worms have a tough outer cuticle layer that allows them to survive even in vinegar. This allows the to dig through the stomach and get into the abdominal cavity.
• While there is no specific portion of the body on which the worms will appear through the skin, the great majority of them will appear on the feet and legs.

Transmission

Pictures and Works Cited

• "CDC - Guinea Worm." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 06 May 2014.
• "Dracunculiasis." Dracunculiasis. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
• Nesmith, Holly. "Common Name: Guinea Worm." Common Name: Guinea Worm. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
• Heiser, Lauren. "DRACUNCULIASIS." DRACUNCULIASIS. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
• Cairncross, Sandy, Ralph Muller, and Nevio Zagaria. "Abstract." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 21 Sept. 0005. Web. 08 May 2014.
• "10 Facts on Guinea-worm Disease." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.

• Dracunculiasis can only be transmitted through the vehicle transmission of contaminated drinking water. The portal of entry is the gastrointestinal tract.
• The incubation period for humans is about a year after the worm is ingested. During this time the worms mature and prepare themselves for reproduction.