Dracunculus medinensis
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Related to Dracunculus medinensis: Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichinella spiralis, Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa, Wuchereria bancrofti
Dra·cun·cu·lus me·di·nen·'sis
a species of skin-infecting, 36" nematodes, formerly incorrectly classed as Filaria; adult worms live anywhere in the body of humans and various semiaquatic mammals; the females migrate along fascial planes to subcutaneous tissues, where troublesome chronic ulcers are formed in the skin; when the host enters water, larvae are discharged from the ulcers, from which the head of the female worm protrudes; these larvae, if ingested by Cyclops species, develop in the intermediate host to the infective stage; humans and various animals contract the infection from accidental ingestion of infected Cyclops in drinking water. Popularly known as guinea, Medina, serpent, or dragon worm, and frequently thought to be the "fiery serpent" that plagued the Israelites.
[L. of Medina]
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Dracunculus
(dra-kung'kyu-lus) [L. dracunculus, small dragon]A genus of parasitic nematodes of the family Dracunculidae.
Dracunculus medinensis
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