Dracunculus medinensis-The Guinea Worm  BIO 203

D. medinensis larvae

The "Foot" Worm

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Dracunculus medinensis is a parasitic nematode that infects copepods first and then mainly humans. Dracunculus medinensis infects humans but has been found in other animals. It arises out of the lower extremities, usually from the foot. D. medinensis is an interesting parasite as it is close to filarial worms, but is not considered such because of its internal organ structure. The objective for the CDC is to wipe out Dracunculus medinensis as a whole (CDC 2012). This website will describe the classification, habitat, functions, reproduction, and interactions of this organism.


This website was created as an assignment of BIO 203 (Organismal Biology) at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. All work has been cited and images are used with permission. This website assignment and others can be found at mulitpleorganisms.net. To find out more about the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and what it has to offer please visit the UWL website.

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This website was last updated 24 April 2014.