Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is caused by the roundworm Onchocerca volvulus and transmitted by female black flies. Symptoms include skin rashes, nodules, and eye inflammation leading to blindness. Diagnosis is made through blood or tissue samples, and treatment involves drugs to kill the parasites.
Roundworms, also known as roundworms, are parasites known to cause infections worldwide. An example of a roundworm is Onchocerca volvulus (O. volvulus), which is the cause of onchocerciasis in humans. Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is an infection transmitted to people by female blackbirds.
These female black flies usually bite during the day and usually breed along streams and rivers. People of all ages and genders who live near these areas are at increased risk of contracting the disease. Onchocerciasis infection is common in Africa, Yemen, Venezuela and Brazil.
The disease cannot be transmitted from person to person. Female blackflies are primarily the vehicle for the spread of onchocerciasis. When infected black flies bite the skin, they transfer infective larvae or immature parasites into the bloodstream. These parasites then migrate into the tissues under the skin forming hard lumps or nodules as they slowly mature. It takes six months to a year for O. volvulus to become an adult worm.
Adult male and female worms, which can live within the host for about 15 years, mate and release thousands of young parasites, called microfilariae, into nearby tissues. These microfilariae are able to move around the body for one to two years. Most of them migrate to the skin and some to the eyes. When they die, they cause some reactions within the body and these usually show up as symptoms of onchocerciasis.
Symptoms of onchocerciasis usually occur several months after being bitten. These include rashes, swelling and itching in scattered areas of the skin, hyperpigmentation or darkening of areas of the skin, the presence of hard lumps or nodules, and loss of skin elasticity. Infected individuals may also have dark patches on the lower legs that resemble leopard skin. Dying microfilariae in the eye often cause reactions that lead to the development of eye inflammation. When severe, it can sometimes lead to blindness, hence the term river blindness.
When one or more female flies bite the skin of infected individuals, they become infected with microfilariae. Inside the female black fly, these microfilariae then undergo growth stages to become infective larvae in about three weeks. When infected black flies bite a person during this time, they transfer the parasite to the skin, thus completing the life cycle of O. volvulus.
Diagnosis of onchocerciasis can be made by analyzing the blood of infected individuals or by taking tissue samples for examination. Treatment of onchocerciasis is often the responsibility of infectious disease specialists, ophthalmologists, and dermatologists. Ophthalmologists are doctors who treat eye problems and dermatologists deal with skin disorders. Drugs that can kill microfilariae are often given to halt the progress of symptoms.
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