Life cycle of Dracunculus medinensis<unk>  is caused by infection with the roundworm Dracunculus medinensis. D. medinensis larvae reside within small aquatic crustaceans called copepods. When humans drink the water, they can unintentionally ingest infected copepods. During digestion the copepods die, releasing the D. medinensis larvae. The larvae exit the digestive tract by penetrating the stomach and intestine, taking refuge in the abdomen or retroperitoneal space. Over the next two to three months the larvae develop into adult male and female worms. The male remains small at long and wide; the female is comparatively large, often over long and wide. Once the worms reach their adult size they mate, and the male dies. Over the ensuing months, the female migrates to connective tissue or along bones, and continues to develop. About a year after initial infection, the female migrates to the skin, forms an ulcer, and emerges. When the wound touches freshwater, the female spews a milky-white substance containing hundreds of thousands of larvae into the water. Over the next several days as the female emerges from the wound, she can continue to discharge larvae into surrounding water. The larvae are eaten by copepods, and after two to three weeks of development, they are infectious to humans again.
Dracunculiasis
Naegleriasis
Gnathostomiasis
Ancylostomiasis
Scarabiasis
Mansonelliasis
Porocephaliasis
Pulicosis