Wuchereria Bancrofti - Etiology

Etiology

W. bancrofti exhibits considerable sexual dimorphism. The adult worm is long, slender, and smooth with rounded ends. It has a short cephalic region and dispersed nuclei throughout its body cavity, with no nuclei at the tail tip. The male worm is 40 mm long and 100 μm wide, and features a curved tail. In contrast, the female is 6 cm to 10 cm long and 300 μm wide, nearly three times larger in diameter than the male. Females are ovoviviparous and can produce thousands of juveniles known as microfilariae. Microfilariae of W. bancrofti retain the egg membrane as a sheath and are often considered advanced embryos.