Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Dracunculiasis is a painful parasitic disease caused by the Guinea worm. Where it once affected millions of people, after years of effort in 2024 there were only 15 cases. We hope that soon there will be zero. Since the Guinea worm is a member of the animal kingdom, are we talking about eradication or are we planning an actual extinction?
Endlings portrait illustrations are by Zoe Keller. You can find out more about her and her work here: zoekeller.com
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/bizarrebeastsshow
Facebook: facebook.com/BizarreBeastsShow
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#BizarreBeasts #guineaworm #endlings
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Sources:
google.com/books/edition/The_Eradication_of_Dracunculiasis_Guinea/vq59DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA11&printsec=frontcover
merckmanuals.com/home/multimedia/image/life-cycle-of-dracunculus-medinensis
https://nemaplex.ucdavis.edu/Taxadata/G940s1.aspx#
cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/index.html
cdc.gov/guinea-worm/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html#
britannica.com/science/guinea-worm-disease
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027795369700213X
livescience.com/58298-earliest-depiction-of-guinea-worm-medieval-painting.html
journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(17)30051-8/abstract
cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/case-totals.html
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16735167
cartercenter.org/news/pr/2025/2024-guinea-worm-worldwide-cases-announcement.html
cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7245a4.htm
asm.org/articles/2020/march/disease-eradication-what-does-it-take-to-wipe-out
cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su48a7.htm
microbiologysociety.org/publication/past-issues/what-is-life/article/are-viruses-alive-what-is-life.html
merckvetmanual.com/generalized-conditions/rinderpest/rinderpest#Diagnosis_v3276103
https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-smallpox-vaccination
nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91122-5
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4982183
cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/news/health_publications/selendy-waterandsanitationrelateddiseases-chapt10.pdf
animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dracunculus_medinensis
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9699583
merckmanuals.com/home/infections/parasitic-infections-roundworms-nematodes/dracunculiasis
ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1
web.archive.org/web/20120627230622/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/lonesome-george-last-of-his-kind-galapagos-tortoise-dies
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6849717
aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/ticks/screwworm
web.archive.org/web/20180128215526/https://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/assets/Lions-Tour/Aotearoa.mp3
doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/predator-free-2050
web.archive.org/web/20220209131520/https://theworld.org/stories/2016-04-04/why-famous-biologist-wants-eradicate-killer-mosquitoes
web.archive.org/web/20160306163542/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/opinion/a-bug-s-death.html
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Images:
docs.google.com/document/d/1D7UTc9GaSvNkFMAiN2nDHdXqjuHnfOMm9yhAiwIFu3o/edit?tab=t.0
Dracunculiasis is a painful parasitic disease caused by the Guinea worm. Where it once affected millions of people, after years of effort in 2024 there were only 15 cases. We hope that soon there will be zero. Since the Guinea worm is a member of the animal kingdom, are we talking about eradication or are we planning an actual extinction?
Endlings portrait illustrations are by Zoe Keller. You can find out more about her and her work here: zoekeller.com
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/bizarrebeastsshow
Facebook: facebook.com/BizarreBeastsShow
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social
#BizarreBeasts #guineaworm #endlings
-----
Sources:
google.com/books/edition/The_Eradication_of_Dracunculiasis_Guinea/vq59DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA11&printsec=frontcover
merckmanuals.com/home/multimedia/image/life-cycle-of-dracunculus-medinensis
https://nemaplex.ucdavis.edu/Taxadata/G940s1.aspx#
cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/index.html
cdc.gov/guinea-worm/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html#
britannica.com/science/guinea-worm-disease
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027795369700213X
livescience.com/58298-earliest-depiction-of-guinea-worm-medieval-painting.html
journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(17)30051-8/abstract
cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/case-totals.html
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16735167
cartercenter.org/news/pr/2025/2024-guinea-worm-worldwide-cases-announcement.html
cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7245a4.htm
asm.org/articles/2020/march/disease-eradication-what-does-it-take-to-wipe-out
cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su48a7.htm
microbiologysociety.org/publication/past-issues/what-is-life/article/are-viruses-alive-what-is-life.html
merckvetmanual.com/generalized-conditions/rinderpest/rinderpest#Diagnosis_v3276103
https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-smallpox-vaccination
nature.com/articles/s41598-021-91122-5
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4982183
cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/news/health_publications/selendy-waterandsanitationrelateddiseases-chapt10.pdf
animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dracunculus_medinensis
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9699583
merckmanuals.com/home/infections/parasitic-infections-roundworms-nematodes/dracunculiasis
ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1
web.archive.org/web/20120627230622/http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/lonesome-george-last-of-his-kind-galapagos-tortoise-dies
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6849717
aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/ticks/screwworm
web.archive.org/web/20180128215526/https://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/assets/Lions-Tour/Aotearoa.mp3
doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/predator-free-2050
web.archive.org/web/20220209131520/https://theworld.org/stories/2016-04-04/why-famous-biologist-wants-eradicate-killer-mosquitoes
web.archive.org/web/20160306163542/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/opinion/a-bug-s-death.html
------
Images:
docs.google.com/document/d/1D7UTc9GaSvNkFMAiN2nDHdXqjuHnfOMm9yhAiwIFu3o/edit?tab=t.0
