Loiasis - Loa loa Life Cycle

1) Fly (genus Chrysops) takes a meal (L3 larvae enter bite wound)

Human Stages:

2) Adults in subcutaneous tissue

3) Adults produce sheathed microfilariae that are found in spinal fluid, urine, sputum, peripheral blood and in the lungs

4) Fly takes a blood meal (ingests microfilariae)

Fly Stages:

5) Microfilariae shed sheaths, penetrate fly's midgut, and migrate to thoracic muscles

6) L1 larvae

7) L3 larvae

8) Migrate to head and fly's proboscis



#Loiasis #Loaloa #LifeCycle #diagnosis #pathophysiology #infectiousdiseases #cdc #parasite