Blood nematodes are parasitic worms that live in the bloodstream of their hosts. These parasites, often called filariae, are a specific type of nematode adapted to residing in the circulatory system.
Characteristics of Blood Nematodes
- Location: They inhabit the blood vessels of their hosts.
- Reproduction: Filariae are unique in that they don't lay eggs like other nematodes. Instead, they give birth to live larvae called microfilariae.
- Life Cycle:
- Microfilariae circulate in the blood.
- Arthropods, such as mosquitoes or flies, ingest microfilariae during a blood meal.
- Inside the arthropod, the microfilariae develop into larval stages.
- The arthropod then transfers the infective larvae to a new host during a subsequent blood meal.
Transmission
The transmission of blood nematodes relies heavily on arthropod vectors. This indirect life cycle involves the following steps:
- Ingestion by Vectors: Microfilariae are ingested by blood-sucking arthropods (e.g., mosquitoes, blackflies) when they feed on an infected host.
- Development in Vectors: Inside the arthropod, the microfilariae develop into infective larvae.
- Transmission to New Hosts: When the arthropod feeds on a new host, the infective larvae are transmitted into the bloodstream.
- Maturation in Host: The larvae then migrate to their preferred location within the host's body (typically the blood vessels or lymphatic system), where they mature into adult worms and begin producing microfilariae.
