Guinea Worm Life Cycle at Life

Guinea Worm Life Cycle. What is the infectious agent for guinea worm?please name it and describe (is it a virus, bacteria etc.). Medinensis infects both a definitive host, humans, and an intermediate host, copepods, to complete its life cycle.

Life cycle of dracunculus medinensis (guinea worm). The gravid female begins to discharge eggs in the stool of host (man) within about two months from the time of infection. It was long believed that the dracunculus medinensis parasite, which causes guinea worm disease in humans, has a fairly simple life cycle:

Dracunculus medinensis Guinea Worm

They then reach water where they can go on to infect more copepods to start the cycle again. The life cycle of dracunculus medinensis has been show to have multiple life stages. Guinea worm, ( dracunculus medinensis ), also called medina worm or dragon worm, member of the phylum nematoda. When worm contacts water, it bursts, releasing hundreds of thousands of immature 1st stage larvae into the water.