Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2003 Jan 25;326(7382):207-10.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7382.207.

Onchocerciasis

Achim Hoerauf  1 , Dietrich W Büttner, Ohene Adjei, Eric Pearlman
Affiliations
Review

Onchocerciasis

Achim Hoerauf et al. BMJ. .
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Major manifestations of onchocerciasis: chronic lichenification with papular dermatitis (left); sclerosing keratitis (right)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Transverse sections of female Onchocerca volvulus worms showing the effect of doxycycline treatment on Wolbachia endobacteria (visualised by staining with antibodies against bacterial heat shock protein-60) and on worm embryogenesis. (Top) Onchocercoma from an untreated patient with worms containing numerous endobacteria (red, arrow) and intact embryogenesis (o=oocytes; m=morulae; cm=coiled microfilarias; sm=stretched microfilarias) (x90). (Bottom) Onchocercoma from a patient 11 months after treatment for six weeks with doxycycline (100 mg/day); worms without bacteria; embryos (e) are degenerated. The arrowhead depicts staining of mitochondria (smaller than the bacteria, different location) by anti-hsp-60 antibodies (x55)
Figure 3
Figure 3
The role of Wolbachia in the pathogenesis of river blindness (murine model). Subcutaneous immunisation with Onchocerca volvulus antigens, which is a model for chronic infection, stimulates the adaptive arm of the immune system, resulting in a predominant Th2 response, with elevated interleukin-4, interleukin-5, eosinophilia, and parasite-specific antibodies. After injection of parasite antigens into the cornea, production of neutrophil and eosinophil chemokines is upregulated in the cornea, and expression of vascular adhesion molecules (PECAM-1 and ICAM-1) on limbal vessels is elevated. Neutrophils and eosinophils are then recruited to the corneal stroma in a biphasic manner, with neutrophils infiltrating within 24 hours and eosinophils predominating after 72 hours. The physical presence of these cells, combined with degranulation and release of cytotoxic mediators, leads to disruption of normal corneal function, loss of corneal clarity, and visual impairment. Lipopolysaccharide-like molecules from Wolbachia endobacteria seem to induce expression of chemotactic cytokines and vascular adhesion molecules that mediate neutrophil recruitment to the corneal stroma. Adapted from Kaifi et al
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization. WHO Expert Committee on Onchocerciasis. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 1987;752:1–167. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Onchocerciasis and its control. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 1995;852:1–103. - PubMed
    1. Hoerauf A, Walter RD, Remme H, Lazdins J, Fleischer B. Call to consolidate achievements for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis control. Trends Parasitol. 2001;17:566–567. - PubMed
    1. Carter Center. Final report of the conference on the eradicability of onchocerciasis, Atlanta, 2002. www.cartercenter.org/documents/1047.pdf (accessed 5 Dec 2002).
    1. Plaisier AP, van Oortmarssen GJ, Remme J, Habbema JD. The reproductive lifespan of Onchocerca volvulus in west African savanna. Acta Trop. 1991;48:271–284. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms