A tropical threadworm which digs under the skin, especially around and into the eye, causing loa loa and loiasis.
A genus of parasitic nematode worms. The adult eye worm, L. loa, lives within the tissues beneath the skin, where it causes inflammation and swelling. The motile embryos, present in the blood during the day, may be taken up by bloodsucking Chrysops flies. Here they develop into infective larvae, ready for transmission to a new human host.
The African eyeworm, a species of filarial worm that infests the subcutaneous tissues and conjunctiva of humans. Its migration causes itching and a creeping sensation. Sometimes it causes itchy edematous areas known as Calabar swellings. It is transmitted by flies of the genus Chrysops.