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guinea worm
(redirected from Guinea worm disease)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.

guinea worm

 or medina worm or dragon worm

Nematode (Dracunculus medinensis) that is a common parasite of humans and other mammals in tropical Asia and Africa and has been introduced into the West Indies and tropical South America. The female grows to 20–48 in. (50–120 cm) long; the male, which dies upon mating, is only about 0.5–1.1 in. (12–29 mm) long. Both sexes live in the connective tissue of the host animal. Humans become infected when they drink water containing tiny crustaceans (e.g., copepods) that have eaten guinea-worm larvae. The disease the guinea worm carries, called dracunculiasis, can be extremely debilitating and painful.


guinea worm [′ginĀ·ē ‚wərm]
(invertebrate zoology)
Dracunculus medinensis.A parasitic nematode that infects the subcutaneous tissues of humans and other mammals.


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The Assembly adopted 43 resolutions on issues ranging from prevention of child mortality due to pneumonia and accelerated research and development of children's vaccines to increased efforts against tuberculosis, Guinea worm disease and smoking in enclosed public places and public transport.
Universal access to safe drinking water and eradication of guinea worm disease by 1995 in affected countries;
 
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