Onchocerca

Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic nematodes that includes several species. The most well-known species is Onchocerca volvulus, which causes Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. This disease is the world's second-leading infectious cause of blindness.

Overview

Onchocerca is a genus in the phylum Nematoda, the class Secernentea, and the order Spirurida. The genus contains 31 species. The species Onchocerca volvulus is the most well-known due to its impact on human health.

Onchocerca volvulus

Onchocerca volvulus is a parasitic worm that can cause a disease known as Onchocerciasis or river blindness. The adult worms live in nodules in the human body, and the females produce larvae that migrate to the skin. When a blackfly bites an infected person, it can pick up the larvae and transmit them to another person.

Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. Symptoms can include severe itching, skin discoloration, and blindness. The disease is most common in Africa, but also occurs in parts of Central and South America, and Yemen.

Treatment and prevention

The drug Ivermectin is commonly used to treat Onchocerciasis. It kills the larvae of the worm, but not the adults. Prevention of the disease is primarily through vector control, which involves reducing the population of the blackflies that transmit the disease.

See also

• List of parasites (human)
• Neglected tropical diseases

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Onchocerca

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  Onchocerca volvulus emerging from a black fly

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  Life Cycle of Onchocerca volvulus