How do people get filarial worms

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. Common Health Topics. Parasitic Infections: Nematodes Roundworms. Test your knowledge. Dengue is a viral infection that causes fever, aches throughout the body, and, in severe cases, bleeding in multiple areas. How is the dengue virus transmitted?

More Content. Filarial worm infections are transmitted as follows:. Inside the insect, the microfilariae develop into larvae that can cause infection. Was This Page Helpful? Yes No. The adult worms only live in the human lymph system.

Lymphatic filariasis affects over million people in 72 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and parts of the Caribbean and South America. You cannot get infected with the worms in the United States. The disease spreads from person to person by mosquito bites. When the infected mosquito bites another person, the microscopic worms pass from the mosquito through the skin, and travel to the lymph vessels.

In the lymph vessels they grow into adults. An adult worm lives for about 5—7 years. The adult worms mate and release millions of microscopic worms, called microfilariae, into the blood.

People with the worms in their blood can give the infection to others through mosquitoes. Repeated mosquito bites over several months to years are needed to get lymphatic filariasis. People living for a long time in tropical or sub-tropical areas where the disease is common are at the greatest risk for infection. Short-term tourists have a very low risk. An infection will show up on a blood test. Most infected people are asymptomatic and will never develop clinical symptoms, despite the fact that the parasite damages the lymph system.

A small percentage of persons will develop lymphedema or, in men, a swelling of the scrotum called hydrocele. Lymphedema is caused by improper functioning of the lymph system that results in fluid collection and swelling. Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is an infection in humans caused by the transmission of certain parasites known as filariae filarial worms by mosquitoes, including those of the genus Culex, which is widespread in urban and semiurban areas.

Mosquitoes are infected with microfilariae when they ingest blood after biting an infected carrier. When the microfilariae mature in the mosquito, they become infectious larvae. When infected mosquitoes bite humans, the mature larvae of the parasite are deposited on the skin, and can then enter the body. Lymphatic filariasis has asymptomatic, acute, and chronic forms. Sep Aug Feb 1 Pagination Current page 1 Page 2. Page 1 Page 2.

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