BACKGROUND Onchocerciasis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. The debate on a potential causal relationship between Onchocerca volvulus and epilepsy has taken a new direction in the light of the most recent epidemic of nodding syndrome. OBJECTIVE To document MRI changes in people with different types of epilepsy and investigate whether there is an association with O. volvulus...

Detection of Onchocerca volvulus in Simulium populations is of primary importance in the assessment of the effectiveness of onchocerciasis control programs. In Brazil, the main focus of onchocerciasis is in the Amazon region, in a Yanomami reserve. The main onchocerciasis control strategy in Brazil is the semi-annually mass distribution of the microfilaricide ivermectin. In accordance with the ...

Understanding the immune response upon infection with the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus and the mechanisms that evolved in this parasite to evade immune mediated elimination is essential to expand the toolbox available for diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines development. Using high-density peptide microarrays we scanned the proteome-wide linear epitope repertoire in Cameroonian oncho...

Onchocerca fasciata Railliet & Henry, 1910, which occurs in subcutaneous nodules, shows a site preference to the anterior parts of its host, Camelus dromedarius L., i.e. the nuchal ligaments, neck, and shoulders. Although the incidence of infection was generally high (59%), the infected camels did not exhibit any apparent disease. The intensity of infection ranged between 2 and 29, with a mean ...

The impact of quarterly Mectizan (ivermectin) treatments on transmission, microfiladermia, and ocular lesions was evaluated in two formerly hyperendemic communities (Las Golondrinas and Las Nubes II) located in the main endemic focus for onchocerciasis in Southern Chiapas, Mexico. The data suggest that Onchocerca volvulus transmission has been suppressed after elimination of microfiladermia in ...

To the Editor: Onchocerca lupi (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) is a nematode that infects the ocular tissues of dogs and humans. This filarioid remained almost unknown until recently, when it was reported in dogs from Europe and North America (1–3). O. lupi was also detected in 2 cats from the United States (4), which suggests that not only canids but also felids are suitable hosts for this little-k...

Observations of low response of patients infected with Onchocerca volvulus to ivermectin suggest that the parasite may be under a selection process toward potential resistance. To limit the extension of this phenomenon, it is crucial to characterize the genes of O. volvulus that are involved. For this, O. volvulus adult worms collected before the introduction of ivermectin in an onchocerciasis ...

In southern California, ocular infections caused by Onchocerca lupi were diagnosed in 3 dogs (1 in 2006, 2 in 2012). The infectious agent was confirmed through morphologic analysis of fixed parasites in tissues and by PCR and sequencing of amplicons derived from 2 mitochondrially encoded genes and 1 nuclear-encoded gene. A nested PCR based on the sequence of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gen...

Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with the parasite Onchocerca volvulus (Ov). An estimated 180 million people are at risk for Ov infection, and 37 million people are infected, mostly in Africa. A lateral flow-based assay to detect human IgG4 antibodies to the Ov-specific antigen Ov-16 was developed as a rapid tool to detect exposure to Ov. The test, when perform...

An analysis of the polymorphism of 16 genes from Onchocerca volvulus was undertaken, in two populations of worms from either ivermectin-naïve patients or patients who had been repeatedly treated with ivermectin, in Ghana. Six genes were selected for analysis because studies in other nematodes had suggested a possible association with ivermectin resistance. The other 10 genes were included as co...