Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Name That Disease #8

Can you name this disease? Because some may find this disgusting (I find it a bit distressing myself), you will have to click the small version below to see the full size.

Image is from the CDC and is copyright free



This is in fact an infection of the nematode worm Thelazia callipaeda. It is commonly called eyeworm, for obvious reasons, but the technical term is thelaziasis. This is an abnormally large infection, with numerous worms present. It is transmitted by insects that like to feed on, basically, tears and is known to occur in humans, though it is more common for humans to become infected by other species in this genus. Treatment for canines is a topical medication, while in humans the worms will be removed by hand and then eye drops are used to prevent secondary infection.

Source is the CDC.

2 comments:

  1. AUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH! What has been seen cannot be unseen!

    Ewww.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry, Jess.

    I'm trying not to gross people out, but I have a very strong stomach so it's difficult for me to tell what an appropriate threshold would be.

    ReplyDelete