The Life Cycle of Wuchereria Bancrofti
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Wuchereria bancrofti is a parasitic worm that causes a condition called lymphatic filariasis, or LF. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 120 million people in 80 countries suffer from LF. The worms are only found in tropical and sub-tropical areas of South America, Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific and some areas in the Caribbean.
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Mosquitoes carry the Wuchereria bancrofti larvae. When the mosquito lands on a person, larvae in the infectious stage get on the skin and enter through the mosquito's bite.
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The larvae then travel to and lodge in the lymphatic vessels, where they develop into adult worms, which live for about five to seven years. They damage the lymphatic vessels, which in some people causes fluid build-up and swelling of the lymphatic system. This makes it difficult for the body to fight infection.
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The adult worms mate and produce millions of microfilariae, which resemble tiny larvae and are encased in a protective sheath. These microfilariae migrate into the lymph and blood channels.
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When another mosquito bites the host, it also picks up the microfilariae. Inside the mosquito, the microfilariae lose their sheaths and work their way through the mosquito's body until they can lodge in its thoracic muscles.
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In the thoracic muscles of the mosquito, the microfilariae develop into larvae and pass through two more larval stages until they reach the infective third stage.
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The larvae in this infective stage travel to the mosquito's proboscis. When the mosquito bites another human, the Wuchereria bancrofti larvae enter through the wound and begin the cycle in the new host. It takes repeated bites from infected mosquitoes over several months or even years before lymphatic filariasis will develop.
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- Photo Credit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
