Feeding Black Fly #1 is a photograph by Sinclair Stammers/science Photo Library which was uploaded on September 30th, 2018.
Feeding Black Fly #1
Feeding black fly (Simulium damnosum). This small fly feeds on blood from human skin by abrading the skin surface until a pool of blood forms, which... more
Title
Feeding Black Fly #1
Artist
Sinclair Stammers/science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph
Description
Feeding black fly (Simulium damnosum). This small fly feeds on blood from human skin by abrading the skin surface until a pool of blood forms, which it laps up. This fly is a vector for river blindness, a disease caused by a parasitic filarial worm. The microscopic filarial stage of the worm passes from humans to flies in the blood. The microfilariae penetrate the fly's gut wall and develop through several stages, ending up as infective larvae in the fly's labium (mouthpart). They are then passed on when the fly next feeds on a human host. Humans harbour adult worms that produce the microfilariae that cause problems such as blindness. This fly is found in Western Africa. Photographed in Ghana.
Uploaded
September 30th, 2018
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