Zoonotic Implications of Onchocerca Species on Human Health
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Pathogens
Abstract
The genus Onchocerca includes several species associated with ungulates as hosts, although
some have been identified in canids, felids, and humans. Onchocerca species have a wide geographical
distribution, and the disease they produce, onchocerciasis, is generally seen in adult individuals
because of its large prepatency period. In recent years, Onchocerca species infecting animals have
been found as subcutaneous nodules or invading the ocular tissues of humans; the species involved
are O. lupi, O. dewittei japonica, O. jakutensis, O. gutturosa, and O. cervicalis. These findings generally
involve immature adult female worms, with no evidence of being fertile. However, a few cases
with fertile O. lupi, O. dewittei japonica, and O. jakutensis worms have been identified recently in
humans. These are relevant because they indicate that the parasite’s life cycle was completed in the
new host—humans. In this work, we discuss the establishment of zoonotic Onchocerca infections in
humans, and the possibility of these infections to produce symptoms similar to human onchocerciasis,
such as dermatitis, ocular damage, and epilepsy. Zoonotic onchocerciasis is thought to be an emerging
human parasitic disease, with the need to take measures such as One Health Strategies, in order to
identify and control new cases in humans.
Description
Keywords
Onchocerca, Zoonosis, Animal species, Clinical signs
Citation
Cambra-Pellejà, M., Gandasegui, J., Balaña-Fouce, R., Muñoz, J., & Martínez-Valladares, M. (2020). Zoonotic implications of Onchocerca species on human health. Pathogens, 9(9), 761. doi:10.3390/pathogens9090761