Loa loa is a very dangerous parasite which lives in the Africa. It's commonly called the eye worm. It attacks subcutaneous tissue and eyes.
Female of the loa loa species can be 7cm long. Male is usually shorter (it's very common when it comes to the parasites).
source ( www.hemato-images.eu)
In my opinion, it's a very interesting fact that Loa loa is..."working". Yes, it's even doing shifts! :) Larva called microfilaria appears in blood in the morning and stays until 10 a.m. Then she comes back at 16:00 and stays until late evening. What is she doing during the"breaks"? She's going to the lungs, cerebrospinal fluid, urine.
Alternate host: The young larvae, or microfilariae develop in horseflies of the genus Chrysops (deer flies, yellow flies). Horseflies bite humans and then invasive form of loa loa is going to the human's bloodstream.
Horseflie of the genus Chrysops (www.webmd.com)
Loa loa is mature after 1 year from invasion.
People are attacked during working on the plantations or exploring rain forests.
The symptoms of loiasis are:
- skin swellings
- rash, skin change
- conjunctivitis
- vision loss
- serious allergic reactions
(photo: Stefan Walkowski, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)
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