Seeing a several-centimeters-long worm traversing the conjunctiva of an eye is often the moment when many people realize they are infected with
Loa loa, commonly called the African eyeworm, a parasitic nematode that migrates throughout the subcutaneous and connective tissues of infected persons.
That is where I caught
loa loa. I am pretty sure that is where it happened because another member of the party I was with also contracted it.
Intraocular nematode infections are uncommon and usually caused by filarial worms such as
Loa loa and Onchocerca volvulus that are transmitted by flies in the tropics.
The antiparasitic drug ivermectin, or IVM, can be used to treat these diseases, but mass public health campaigns to administer the medication have been stalled because of potentially fatal side effects for patients co-infected with
Loa loa, which causes loiasis, or African eye worm.
Such referral also may be appropriate for patients from countries where
loa loa is endemic, because encephalopathy has occurred in patients coinfected with
loa loa who were treated with ivermectin.
Eight filarial species are known to infect humans out of which most serious filarial infections are caused mostly by four parasites like Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Onchocerca volvulus and
Loa loa. These parasites are transmitted by specific species of mosquitoes or other arthropods.
Five species of filarial parasites have been reported in Nigeria, namely Wuchereria bancrofti, Onchocerca volvulus,
Loa loa, Mansonella perstans and M.
Serious complications, such as severe and sometimes fatal encephalopathic adverse reactions and coma in patients with onchocerciasis combined with high intensity of
Loa loa have been reported (Chippaux et al.
And no Hollywood challenge could compete with Fisher's real-life run-in with
Loa Loa worms.
(And speaking of eyes, watch out for
loa loa, or eyeworm.) Nicely illustrated with photographs, illustrations, and diagrams, this is a quick and informative introduction to the science of parasitology, good for any young person with a leaning toward biology or a high "ick quotient." Be prepared for vivid images.
"Returning from a fact-finding trip, where he played two rounds of golf at the first-class
Loa Loa Bay Golf Resort, DeLay blasted critics of what he called Saipan's 'free market success,'" reported the Dallas Observer.