Not every worm wrapped around a stick is a guinea worm: a case of Onchocerca volvulus mimicking Dracunculus medinensis

Guinea Worm (Dracunculus medinensis) Infection in a Wild-Caught Frog, Chad

A third-stage (infective) larva of Dracunculus medinensis, the causative agent of Guinea worm disease, was recovered from a wild-caught Phrynobatrachus francisci frog in Chad. Although green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) have been experimentally infected with D. medinensis worms, our findings prove that frogs can serve as natural paratenic hosts.

Emergence of Onchocerca volvulus from skin mimicking Dracunculiasis medinensis.

We describe 11 cases of suspected Dracunculus medinensis infection in which the worm recovered was identified as Onchocerca volvulus. Identification was based on morphology of the examined specimen.

Development of a recombinant antigen vaccine against infection with the filarial worm Onchocerca volvulus.

Efforts to control Onchocerca volvulus, the etiologic agent of river blindness, have been limited to vector control and drug treatment to eliminate microfilariae, with no means available to prevent infection. The goal of this study was to develop a vaccine against this infection using recombinant antigens that are expressed in the early larval stages of the parasite. Five recombinant antigens, ...

Guinea-Worm Disease: Case Notes

Dracunculus Medinensis