Introduction:
Onchocerciasis is a disease of public health and socio-economic importance in Ethiopia. Onchocerciasis, commonly known as “river blindness” is caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus it is transmitted to humans by a bite from infected black flies. Worm larvae that are transmitted develop into adults and settle into the fibrous nodules on the human body and produce microfilariae. Prolonged infection to the parasitic worm can lead to blindness and depigmentation of the skin. Onchocerciasis mostly affects the south-western region of Ethiopia, Africa and the Americas (World heath orginisation, 2006) and the
Life cycle and mode of entry:
The life cycle of O. volvulus is complex, and relies significantly on the blackfly. The life cycle involves many steps that could be interrupted to prevent getting the disease. The life cycle is as follows;
1. During a bite, an infected blackfly (genus Simulium) introduces third-stage larvae onto the skin of the human, where they enter the bite wound
2. In skin tissues the larvae mature into adults, which commonly exist in nodules in skin connective tissues
3. Adults can live in the nodules for approximately 15 years. Some nodules may contain numerous male and female worms.
4. A blackfly ingests the microfilariae during a blood meal.
5. After ingestion, the microfilariae migrate from the blackfly's midgut through the hemocoel to the thoracic muscles.
6. There the microfilariae develop into first-stage larvae
7. And subsequently into third-stage infective larvae.
8. The third-stage infective larvae migrate to the blackfly's proboscis
9. And can infect another human when the fly takes another blood meal.
Effects and current treatments:
The O. volvulus worm has multi...
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...vention, 2013). Other preventative measures that the volunteers can use is to cover up their skin; the wearing of long sleeved tops and long pants is vital, this will stop the Black fly from being able to bite the individual. If the volunteers utilise these small bit significant measures of prevention they will be able to avoid being bitten and infected.
Conclusion:
In conclusion the eradication of Onchocerciasis in Ethiopia is highly possible and likely with the help of volunteer groups such as this one to aid and assist small villages and communities in educating them on how to avoid being infected. The volunteer group will be sufficiently able to avoid infection if the few simple steps are followed and extra caution is taken. It can be predicted that with the education of the communities throughout Ethiopia that the eradication of the disease is highly likely.
this is the prepatent period. The worms then reside in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels. The worms begin to mate and release microfilaria into the blood stream. When a mosquito bites an infected dog it takes in some of the microfilaria in the blood. After 10 to 30 days there is larvae in the mosquito’s salivary gland which can then be passed on to the next dog the mosquito bites.
Disease and parasitism play a pervasive role in all life. Many of these diseases start with microparasites, which are characterized by their ability to reproduce directly within an individual host. They are also characterized by their small size, short duration of infection, and the production of an immune response in infected and recovered individuals. Microparasites which damage hosts in the course of their association are recognized as pathogens. The level of the interaction and the extent of the resultant damage depends on both the virulence of the pathogen, as well as the host defenses. If the pathogen can overcome the host defenses, the host will be damaged and may not survive. If on the other hand the host defenses overcome the pathogen, the microparasite may fail to establish itself within the host and die.
The adults overwinter in leaf litter and thatch until spring time when the temperature warm up. The adults become active seeking new areas to lay eggs and can be seen walking across pavement. The females lay white, kidney shaped eggs with in grass stems that are hollowed out. It takes about 7-14 days for the white larvae to hatch from the eggs and proceed to live and feed within the grass stem until its third-instar. During the second instars cycle, the larvae eat their way through the grass stem, breaking themselves out. The larvae go on to complete their third instar cycle in the thatch feeding roots and crowns. The larval stage takes about 5 to 8 weeks to complete before pupation occurs in the soil. The pupae are about 1 to 2 inches long and emerge as adults in about 7-10 days. They continue feeding on grass until they find their new overwintering site before temperatures begin to drop
Gbakima, A. A., et al. "High prevalence of bedbugs Cimex hemipterus and Cimex lectularis in camps for internally displaced persons in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a pilot humanitarian investigation." West African journal of medicine21.4 (2002): 268-271.
You wouldn’t think the carrier of this disease would come from a little mosquito bite but it does.
A person can prevent the disease. And, there are many ways to do this. One is to put on insect repellent with Deet. Another is to wear long sleeves and long pants. Also, tuck your pants in socks. And, wear a hat. Finally, stay away from wooded areas.
Young hookworms (larvae) can enter the skin and travel to the lungs through the bloodstream. The hookworms can move up the windpipe (trachea) and down into the digestive tract. Adult hookworms can live for a year or more inside the small intestine. An undiagnosed and untreated infection can eventually lead to blood loss from the intestines and cause a low level of iron in the blood (iron deficiency anemia).
If you didn’t want this horrifying disease, I had to stay away from rodents, such as mice or rats, along with their droppings. I had to seriously avoid insect bites, and the people who had this. Surviving the black death was not an easy thing to do. This period, is beyond deadly. This outbreak was not any joke. This disease is killing people
Wear gloves and proper cloths if handling the infected animals to prevent the direct contact.
The first of these is to anesthetize the entire culture and dispose of the adult generation in the fly morgue. The second is to transfer all adults to a new culture vial while recording the phenotypes and sex of the flies. These steps will be done in alternating weeks ending on week seven in which the final observation is recorded and the adult flies as well as culture vial is discarded. In between weeks the flies should be kept in a warmer with a temperature that ranges from 20℃ to 25℃ (University of South Florida, 2017, Biodiversity Lab Manual).
of parasites do not kill the host from feeding, whereas a predator will kill it’
Forensic entomology is the study of insects and arthropods and their relation to a criminal investigation. Forensic entomology can determine the postmortem interval (PMI) or how long since the descendants’ death, whether the body has been moved since expiring, and what injuries may have been sustained (Ryan, 2011). When decomposition begins, insects establish a colony to lay eggs on the remains; these eggs will hatch into larvae that will eat the human organs and tissues. Forensic entomologists can determine the specific insects present in the body and estimate how long a body has been left exposed by examining the stage of development of the fly larvae; however, these findings are not always plausible. The fly larvae look and act different at each stage of development. The time required for stage development is not only affected by environmental influences such as geographical location, climate, and weather conditions, but also by type of insect. The forensic entomologist must consider these conditions when estimating the postmortem interval. Knowledge of insects, their life cycles, and their habits make entomological evidence a priceless tool for an investigation. Forensic entomology has proved its significance in a number of cases; though circumstances such as weather, temperature, and time of year clearly affect the development of insect infestation, and the expert must keep these in the forefront of his/her mind (Innes, 2000).
Many people in advanced industrialized nations are often unaware of infectious diseases that plague underdeveloped countries. This is primarily due to factors that are so often taken for granted like having proper sanitation, adequately treated water, properly prepared food, easy access to medical care, and economic viability. The sad truth is that many of these infectious diseases could easily be prevented if the countries where they run most rampant had only a few of the factors mentioned above. The concentration of this paper will be to focus on one such disease named Cholera and its impact on the country of Zambia, Africa.
The reproductive system was mainly located towards the anal area and inferior to the stomach. The penis was located in the middle. It was white in color and looked like a mealworm. The seminal vesicles were located on both sides of the penis. They were grayish pink in color and looked like walnuts.
Lymphatic Filariasis (also commonly known as Elephantiasis) is a disease that is caused by thread-like worms. Adult worms are most commonly found in the human lymphatic system. It causes the affected area – mostly the legs, arms, breasts or genital areas – to brutal and abnormal swelling which also makes the skin covering the area become more exposed to bacteria. This makes the skin hard and thick: the condition has been named as Elephantiasis. In most cases the affected person does not show any symptoms of the disorder. Elephantiasis is a long-term disorder that causes many people to have a permanent disability.