| How is
LF contracted? |
| |
| Filariasis
is spread from an infected human, i.e. someone with worms in his/her
bloodstream, to an uninfected human by mosquitoes. Adult worms live
in an infected human's lymphatic vessels. The female worms release
large numbers of very small worm larvae (called microfilaria), which
circulate in an infected person's bloodstream. When a human is bitten
by a mosquito, the mosquito ingests the larvae. The larvae develop
in the mosquito into an infective stage and are then spread to other
people via mosquito bites. After a bite, the larvae pass through the
skin, travel to the lymphatic vessels and develop into adult worms. |
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