Elephantiasis is a tropical disease caused by the pathogen Wbcnereria bancroffi and affecting more than 1 20 million people worldwide.It has been up to now usually incurable.Wuchereria larvae are injected into the host's body by the bite of an infected mosquito.The larvae moves to the lymph nodes,where they grow into worms which may be up to ten centimetres long.The outcome is an inflammation which halts the flow of lymphatic fluid:arms,legs and genitals swell to monstrous proportions-hence the name elephantiasis.In each wuchereria worm there are also specific bacteria which are absolutely indispensable to the parasite's survival.If these bacteria die,the parasite will also die sooner or later.
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