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guinea worm |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
guinea wormor medina worm or dragon wormNematode (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 [′gin·ē ‚wərm] (invertebrate zoology) Dracunculus medinensis.A parasitic nematode that infects the subcutaneous tissues of humans and other mammals. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Effects of improved water supply and sanitation on ascariasis, diarrhoea, dracunculiasis, hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Also called dracunculiasis, the water-borne, crippling disease is caused by a worm that infects an estimated 10 million people annually, mostly in rural areas of Africa, India and Pakistan. In addition to studying schistosomiasis in Egypt, she has conducted research on dracunculiasis in Nigeria. |
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