Onchocerca
Encyclopedia
Onchocerca is a genus of roundworm. It contains one human parasite - Onchocerca volvulus
- which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis
, also known as "River Blindness" because the infected humans tend to live near rivers where host black flies live. Over 40 million people are infected in Africa
, Central America
, and South America
.
Onchocerca volvulus
Onchocerca volvulus is a nematode that causes onchocerciasis or "river blindness" mostly in Africa. Long-term corneal inflammation, or keratitis, leads to thickening of the corneal stroma which ultimately leads to blindness. Humans are the only definitive host for O. volvulus. The intermediate host...
- which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis
Onchocerciasis
Onchocerciasis , also known as river blindness and Robles' disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode . Onchocerciasis is the world's second-leading infectious cause of blindness. It is not the nematode, but its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, that...
, also known as "River Blindness" because the infected humans tend to live near rivers where host black flies live. Over 40 million people are infected in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
List of species
- Onchocerca armillata
- Onchocerca cervicalis
- Onchocerca dukei
- Onchocerca fasciata
- Onchocerca flexuosa
- Onchocerca gibsoni
- Onchocerca gutturosa
- Onchocerca jakutensis
- Onchocerca linealis
- Onchocerca lupi
- Onchocerca ochengi
- Onchocerca ramachandrini
- Onchocerca sp. 'bushbuck'
- Onchocerca sp. 'Siisa
- Onchocerca tubingensisOnchocerca tubingensisOnchocerca tubingensis is the name of a nematode. It was 1974 discovered and published by O. Bain und H. Schulz-Key in Tropenmedizin und Parasitologie and named after Tübingen. Red deer are the host of this parasite...
- Onchocerca volvulusOnchocerca volvulusOnchocerca volvulus is a nematode that causes onchocerciasis or "river blindness" mostly in Africa. Long-term corneal inflammation, or keratitis, leads to thickening of the corneal stroma which ultimately leads to blindness. Humans are the only definitive host for O. volvulus. The intermediate host...