? Wuchereria bancrofti
Microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti, from a patient seen in Haiti. Thick blood smears stained with hematoxylin.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Nematoda Class: Secernentea Order: Spirurida Suborder: Spirurina Family: Filarioidea Genus: Wuchereria

Wuchereria bancrofti (named for O.E.H. Wucheria and Joseph Bancroft), a parasitic filarial nematode, affects over 120 million people, and is spread by mosquitoes. It is common to Africa, South America, and other tropical and sub tropical countries. Elephantiasis can result in some infected individuals if the infection is left untreated. Limited treatment modalities exist. No vaccines have been made against this infection. Image File history File links Wuchereria_bancrofti_1_DPDX.JPG Povzetek Wuchereria bancrofti von der DPDX Microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti, from a patient seen in Haiti. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Classes Adenophora    Subclass Enoplia    Subclass Chromadoria Secernentea    Subclass Rhabditia    Subclass Spiruria    Subclass Diplogasteria The roundworms (Phylum Nematoda) are one of the most common phyla of animals, with over 20,000 different described species. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... O.E.H. Wucheria (1820 - 1874) was a Portuguese physician. ... Joseph Bancroft (1836-1894), scientist born in England, who emigrated to Australia. ... For the rare minieral, see Parisite. ... Filariasis is a parasitic and infectious tropical disease, caused by the thread-like parasitic filarial worms, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori, all transmitted by mosquitoes. ... Genera See text. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Elephantiasis is a parasitic disease which is transmitted from human to human by mosquito bites. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease, in order to prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by any natural or wild strain of the organism. ...

Life cyle of Wuchereria Bancrofti

Wuchereria bancrofti carry out their life cycle in two hosts. Human beings serve as the definitive host and mosquitoes as their intermediate hosts. The adult parasites reside in the lymphatics. They are viviparous. The first stage larvae are known as microfilariae. The microfilaria are present in the circulation. The microfilaria migrate between the deep and the peripheral circulation. During the day they are present in the deep veins and during the night the migrate to the peripherl circulation. Next, the worm is transferred into a vector; the most common vectors are the mosquito species: Culex, Anopheles, Aedes, and Mansonia. Inside their second host, it matures into motile larvae. When its current host feeds, and it is egested into the blood stream of its new human host. The larvae moves to the Lymph nodes, predominantly in the legs and genital area, and develops into adult worm over the course of a year. By this time, an adult female can produce microfilariae itself. Image File history File links W_bancrofti_LifeCycle. ... Image File history File links W_bancrofti_LifeCycle. ... A life cycle includes the major sexual stages of a species, especially in regard to its ploidy. ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu(extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Homo (genus). ... In parasitology, an intermediate host is an organism that is infected with a parasite that will not reproduce sexually within it, while a definitive host is one in which the parasite reproduces. ... Genera See text. ... In parasitology, an intermediate host is an organism that is infected with a parasite that will not reproduce sexually within it, while a definitive host is one in which the parasite reproduces. ... The term adult describes any mature organism, but normally it refers to a human: one that is no longer a child / minor and is now either a man or a woman. ... In mammals including humans, the lymphatic vessels (or lymphatics) are a network of thin tubes that branch, like blood vessels, into tissues throughout the body. ... A viviparous animal is an animal employing vivipary, a method of reproduction in which the embryo develops inside the body of the mother from which it gains nourishment, and not from an egg. ... A circulatory system (sometimes cardiovascular system) is an organ system that moves substances to and from cells; it can also help stabilize body temperature and pH (part of homeostasis). ... Traditionally in medicine, a vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another. ... Culex Basic Information: Culex is a boss the game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. ... Some Species Anopheles beklemishevi Anopheles coustani Anopheles crypticus Anopheles farauti Anopheles forattinii Anopheles funestus Anopheles gambiae Anopheles grabhamii Anopheles hailarensis Anopheles halophylus Anopheles hyrcanus Anopheles kosiensis Anopheles maculipennis Anopheles minimus Anopheles moucheti Anopheles nili Anopheles ovengensis Anopheles pampanae Anopheles peytoni Anopheles quadrimaculatus Anopheles rennellensis Anopheles rivulorum Anopheles triannulatus Anopheles is... Species Aedes albopictus Aedes aegypti This page is about the genus of mosquito, for the Roman building see aedes (Roman) Aedes is a genus of mosquito found in tropical and subtropical zones. ... Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. ... Lymph originates as blood plasma lost from the circulatory system, which leaks out into the surrounding tissues. ...

This specific filarial worm, Wuchereria bancrofti, displays a large size gap between the male and female. The adult male worm is long and slender, between four and five centimeters in length, a tenth of a centimeter in diameter, and features a curved tail. The female, in contrast, is six to ten centimeters long, and three times larger in diameter than the male. This size deviation can be attributed to the vast numbers of microfilariae that the female produces each day.

The onset of symptoms is slow, but the effects are very apparent after several years. During the initial inflammatory stage, a host can exhibit swelling, granulation lesions, and impaired circulation. Following, the lymph nodes are enlarged and dilated. They become hardened and clogged with fibrous tissue, and this prevents the lymphatic system from operating correctly. The microfilariae also cause swelling, thickening, and discolouration of the skin. Without the proper drainage of fluids, the affected tissue will expand and elephantiasis, a gross expansion of body, will result, followed sometimes by death. A lesion is a non-specific term referring to abnormal tissue in the body. ... Diagram of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... Elephantiasis is a parasitic disease which is transmitted from human to human by mosquito bites. ...

The parasite's severe symptoms can be avoided by the use of therapeutic drugs. Both Diethylcarbamazine and Sodium caparsolate are used to kill the worms and their microfilariae. Diethylcarbamazine is most commonly used and is administered orally. Protection is similar to that of other mosquito spread illnesses; one can use barriers both physical (a mosquito net) and chemical (insect repellent). Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is an anthelmintic drug that does not resemble other antiparasitic compounds. ... A mosquito net is a fine, see-through mesh that stops many insects from disturbing the person using the net. ... Commercial insect repellents. ...

Trivia

• Joseph Merrick, "The Elephant Man", was not afflicted by a parasitic worm, but by Proteus syndrome.

It has been suggested that Mary Jane Merrick be merged into this article or section. ... Joseph Merrick, sometimes called John Merrick, known as The Elephant Man. ... Proteus Syndrome (PS) is a congenital disorder that causes skin overgrowth, atypical bone development, and tumour appearance over half the body. ...

References

• Oetinger, David. "Filaria." The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book Inc. 2000.
• "Elephantiasis." Human Diseases and Conditions. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 2000.
• David F. Oetinger, "Filaria." World Book Online Reference Center. http://www.worldbookonline.com/ar?/na/ar/co/ar196440.htm, November 28, 2003.
• "Lymphatic filariasis." World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/ctd/filariasis/home/, November 28, 2003.