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Humans become infected
by drinking unfiltered water containing copepods (small crustaceans) which
are infected with larvae of D. medinensis
.
Following ingestion, the copepods die and release the larvae, which
penetrate the host stomach and intestinal wall and enter the abdominal
cavity and retroperitoneal space
. After
maturation into adults and copulation, the male worms die and the females
(length: 70 to 120 cm) migrate in the subcutaneous tissues towards the skin
surface .
Approximately one year after infection, the female worm induces a blister on
the skin, generally on the distal lower extremity, which ruptures. When
this lesion comes into contact with water, a contact that the patient seeks
to relieve the local discomfort, the female worm emerges and releases larvae
. The
larvae are ingested by a copepod
and
after two weeks (and two molts) have developed into infective larvae
.
Ingestion of the copepods closes the cycle
.
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