In the 'you learn something everyday' category (oh, and a bit of an "eeuwww!" factor): [I'm not providing the URL b/c you have to have a subscription, but this is from eMedicine; they have on-line quizzes/cases to solve.]
...Of interest, the universal symbol of medicine, ie, the Asklepion (or caduceus, after Asklepios, the Greek god of healing and medicine) is likely a representation of dracunculiasis and its treatment. To this day, accepted treatment remains the same. The adult guinea worm is wrapped around a stick a few centimeters a day to coax it from a person's skin. Removal of the entire worm may take days to weeks. Metronidazole or thiabendazole may be used as an adjunct to stick therapy. The worm may also be removed surgically if facilities are available... ...In humans, dracunculiasis, or guinea worm disease, results from infection with D medinensis. In 1986, more than 2.25 million cases of dracunculiasis occurred worldwide. Ten years later, the estimated worldwide incidence was close to 152,000 cases, which were mostly from Sudan. This decline has been a result of the Global Dracunculiasis Eradication Campaign. Dracunculiasis now occurs in only 13 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and in South Asia, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Sudan, India, and Pakistan. Infected areas in Africa lie in a band between the Sahara and the equator. People contract guinea worm disease by drinking fresh water contaminated with D medinensis larvae. Small water fleas in the water swallow the larvae. After the worms mature in the flea, any person who swallows contaminated water becomes infected. Once inside the body, stomach acid digests the water flea but not the guinea worm. During the next year, the worm grows to full adult size. After a year, the worm migrates to the surface of the body into the subcutaneous tissue. As it migrates, a blister develops on the skin, where the worm resides. The female adult worm eventually emerges from the blister, rupturing the skin. When hosts step into water, they release a milky, white liquid containing millions of immature larvae, contaminating the water supply. Most worms appear on the legs and feet, but they may occur anywhere in the body, as cases in the arms, breasts, head, back, and scrotum are well documented. Morbidity is from secondary infection of the lesions and from the severe, incapacitating pain associated with the blisters, especially when the worms exit the body... Debbi (who got that it was worm infestation, but not the exact species) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
