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Parasites and Conservation Biology
Published in Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin, Parasitology, 2023
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin
It would be hard to argue too persuasively for letting the Guinea worm persist in nature because it causes true misery, pain and suffering for those unfortunate enough to be infected. Consider though that this worm has been part of the human experience for thousands of years, and many of our ancestors have been afflicted with these “fiery serpents.” When this worm is exterminated, we will have lost a palpable connection with our past. A spectacular example of biodiversity—an unusually large nematode with a remarkable ability to exit through the skin of the human body—will have been lost. Although other species of Dracunculus are known, this is the only species with a preference for infecting humans. Given its predicted demise, we must do what we can at the least to ensure that samples of the worm, including its genome, are preserved for posterity to study.
An Overview of Helminthiasis
Published in Venkatesan Jayaprakash, Daniele Castagnolo, Yusuf Özkay, Medicinal Chemistry of Neglected and Tropical Diseases, 2019
Leyla Yurttaș, Betül Kaya Çavușoğlu, Derya Osmaniye, Ulviye Acar Çevik
Dracunculus medinensis is a nematode that causes drancunculosis, a parasitic dermatosis that has affected humans for centuries. Dracunculus medinensis known as “Guinea worm” has been reported in 17 African countries including Yemen, Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan. The disease remains asymptomatic till completion of puberty and fertilisation of female larvea during incubation period. Systemic infections may cause cutaneous manifestations as well as diarrhea, nausea, dyspnea, syncope and vomiting. The diagnosis of drancunculosis can be favored by worm extrusion from a skin lesion or wet smears showing motile larvae on microscopy (Linquist and Cross 2017, Assimwe and Hengge 2017).
Engineering and infectious disease
Published in Sandy Cairncross, Richard Feachem, Environmental Health Engineering in the Tropics, 2018
Sandy Cairncross, Richard Feachem
Another water-based disease is Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis, Figure 1.4), which has a unique transmission route. The mature female worm releases hundreds of thousands of microscopic larvae from a painful blister, usually on the leg of the human host. If, when the blister bursts, these are washed into a pond or shallow well, they are eaten by tiny crustaceans called cyclopoids, which then become infected. Cyclopoids are only 0.8 mm long and so are easily consumed inadvertently in water from an infected pond or well. Any Dracunculus worms they contain will develop further in the human host and any fertilised female worm will make her way to the legs and form a new blister a year later, ready to start a new cycle.
Artemisia dracunculus L. modulates the immune system in a multiple sclerosis mouse model
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2021
Hamidreza Safari, Gholamreza Anani Sarab, Mohsen Naseri
Although various drugs are used in the treatment of MS, they are not fully effective and are also associated with complications [13]. Recently, attention has been drawn to the use of alternative and complementary therapies, including the use of medicinal herbs [14]. A. dracunculus is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae (daisy) family, which contains various compounds including flavonoids, phenyl-propanoids, coumarins, tannins, and essential oils. In traditional medicine A. dracunculus was commonly used to improve a malfunctioning digestive system, treating insomnia, skin wounds, irritations, allergic rashes, and dermatitis. A. dracunculus extract has potent antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor, antidiabetic, free radicals scavenging, and antioxidant effects [15,16], furthermore, it has been shown to reduce the secretion of interferon gamma and IL-6 from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) under in-vitro conditions [12].
The potential of Artemisia species for use as broad-spectrum agents in the management of metabolic syndrome: a review
Published in Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2023
Kasimu Ghandi Ibrahim, Nyasha Charity Mukonowenzou, Dawoud Usman, Kehinde Ahmad Adeshina, Kennedy Honey Erlwanger
Due to its diverse therapeutic roles, folklore and early work of the Roman author, Pliny the Elder, suggest that the genus Artemisia was named after the Greek doctor and botanist Artemisia II of Caria (Comstock 1854). Furthermore, both Artemisia II of Caria and the genus are said to be named after the goddess of childbirth, the hunt, and forests: Artemis (Comstock 1854; Riddle 2010). Artemisia species have been used in the preparation of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, spices, and tonics (Zeb et al.2019). The folk knowledge of medicinal plants led to their application in the traditional treatment of several ailments (Hussain et al.2018). A. herba-alba, A. scoparia, A. vulgaris, and A. dracunculus have been used in the traditional treatment of gastrointestinal disorders (Tahraoui et al.2007; Obolskiy et al.2011; Ahmad et al.2017). A. absinthium has been used to manage diabetes locally (Andrews et al.2018; Hussain et al.2018), and A. herba-alba to traditionally manage hypertension (Tahraoui et al.2007). A. dracunculus also has a long history of local use as a choleretic, anti-cancer, and antibacterial agent (Obolskiy et al.2011). Interestingly, A. vulgaris is also used in the traditional treatment of menstrual conditions, such as amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, and oligomenorrhea and also alleviating difficulties in childbirth (De Boer and Cotingting 2014). Other uses of Artemisia species including wound healing, muscle relaxation, and as an anti-pyretic agent have been reviewed elsewhere (Bora and Sharma 2011; Nigam et al.2019) and will not form part of the current review. The various medicinal uses of Artemisia species are largely due to their production of secondary phytochemical metabolites.