Loiasis
cwilcox | April 13, 2009Ah, I know, I missed a parasite last week. I was on vacation. So sue me.
Anyhow, this week's lovely parasite is worth the wait.
Meet the Loa Loa worm.
Loa Loa worms ( Loa Loa filaria) are a kind of filarial nematode which is spread by fly bite. Filarial nematodes are a lovely bunch of parasites, resposible for wonderful diseases like Elephantiasis - but I'll get into that one another day. They all have similar life cycles: first, as a lovely adult in the host of choice (like us), the male and female nematodes mate and produce lots of adorable little larvae called microfilariae. These take up…