A third-stage (infective) larva of Dracunculus medinensis, the causative agent of Guinea worm disease, was recovered from a wild-caught Phrynobatrachus francisci frog in Chad. Although green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) have been experimentally infected with D. medinensis worms, our findings prove that frogs can serve as natural paratenic hosts.
Keywords: Chad; Dracunculus medinensis; Guinea worm; Guinea worm disease; Phrynobatrachus francisci; dogs; dracunculiasis; humans; infective larvae; parasites; paratenic host; transmission; wild frog; zoonoses.