Guinea Worm Disease Symptoms and Treatment

Guinea worm is human disease usually caused by a threadlike parasite called Dracunculus medinensis, these worms live in the subcutaneous tissues. The adult worm remains a long time in the subcutaneous tissues of the patient, who may be unaware of the worm's presence until a few days before it emerges, usually from the foot, producing an ulcer. Guinea worm is then painful, and there is danger of secondary infection and crippling. The worm causing guinea worm is dune in West Africa, in the Nile valley, and in the Middle East.

Cause. The guinea worm, whose other name is Dracunculus medinensis.

Guinea Worm Route

The female guinea worm produces larvae and when the ulcer is formed the worm extrudes itself and a large number of larvae are discharged into the water, if the patient is bathing his sore leg, or collecting water from a pond, swamp, or shallow well. There, the worm larvae are swallowed by a tiny water-flea, developed further in the water-flea's body, and then enter the human being when he drinks water containing the water-flea (Cyclops).

The stomach juices digest the flea, but not the larvae, which bore through the intestinal wall and reach the subcutaneous or deeper tissues where they develop into adult worms.

Guinea-Worm Susceptibles

All people who drink unboiled and unfiltered water from ponds or swamps which contain the infected Cyclops.

Guinea-Worm Treatment

Some new drugs (for example Ambilhar) are being tried, and antibiotics are given for any secondary infection. Applying water to the spot encourages the worm to emerge and lay its eggs outside.

Care should be taken with the egg-infested water. The worm should be curled around a small stick and bandaged to the limb until it completely emerges.

Guinea-Worm Prevention

Protection of water supplies so that people cannot wade into them. Filtration of water or boiling it before drinking.