What does onchocerciasis mean?

Definitions for onchocerciasis
on·chocer·ci·a·sis

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word onchocerciasis.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. onchocerciasis, river blindnessnoun

    infestation with slender threadlike roundworms (filaria) deposited under the skin by the bite of black fleas; when the eyes are involved it can result in blindness; common in Africa and tropical America

GCIDE

  1. onchocerciasisnoun

    An infection with nematodes of the genus Onchocerca, especially Onchocerca volvulus. Untreated, such infections can cause serious dermatological problems, and in advanced cases may lead to blindness. In certain areas of tropical Africa the blindness caused by onchocerciasis is called river blindness.

Wiktionary

  1. onchocerciasisnoun

    A disease caused by a worm of the genus Onchocerca, especially as transmitted to humans by flies and often causing blindness; common in tropical Africa.

  2. Etymology: From scientific Onchocerca (a genus of parasitic worms, from ‘barb’ + ‘tail’) + -iasis.

Wikipedia

  1. Onchocerciasis

    Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. It is the second-most common cause of blindness due to infection, after trachoma.The parasite worm is spread by the bites of a black fly of the Simulium type. Usually, many bites are required before infection occurs. These flies live near rivers, hence the common name of the disease. Once inside a person, the worms create larvae that make their way out to the skin, where they can infect the next black fly that bites the person. There are a number of ways to make the diagnosis, including: placing a biopsy of the skin in normal saline and watching for the larva to come out; looking in the eye for larvae; and looking within the bumps under the skin for adult worms.A vaccine against the disease does not exist. Prevention is by avoiding being bitten by flies. This may include the use of insect repellent and proper clothing. Other efforts include those to decrease the fly population by spraying insecticides. Efforts to eradicate the disease by treating entire groups of people twice a year are ongoing in a number of areas of the world. Treatment of those infected is with the medication ivermectin every six to twelve months. This treatment kills the larvae but not the adult worms. The antibiotic doxycycline weakens the worms by killing an associated bacterium called Wolbachia, and is recommended by some as well. The lumps under the skin may also be removed by surgery.About 15.5 million people are infected with river blindness. Approximately 0.8 million have some amount of loss of vision from the infection. Most infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa, although cases have also been reported in Yemen and isolated areas of Central and South America. In 1915, the physician Rodolfo Robles first linked the worm to eye disease. It is listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a neglected tropical disease. In 2013 Colombia became the first country to eradicate the disease.

ChatGPT

  1. onchocerciasis

    Onchocerciasis, also known as River Blindness, is a disease caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. The disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of a blackfly. The worms spread throughout the body, and when they die, they cause intense itching and a strong immune system response that can destroy ocular tissue, leading to blindness.

Wikidata

  1. Onchocerciasis

    Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness and Robles disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode. Onchocerciasis is second in the world only to trachoma as an infectious cause of blindness. It is not the nematode, but its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis, that causes the severe inflammatory response that leaves many blind. The parasite is transmitted to humans through the bite of a black fly of the genus Simulium. The larval nematodes spread throughout the body. When the worms die, their Wolbachia symbionts are released, triggering a host immune system response that can cause severe itching, and can destroy optical tissue in the eye. Most infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa, although cases have also been reported in Yemen and isolated areas of Central and South America. As of 2001, an estimated 18 million people suffered from onchocerciasis, with approximately 270,000 cases of blindness related to the infection. In 1915, Dr. Rodolfo Robles Valverde's study on patients with river blindness in Guatemala led to the discovery that the disease is caused by filaria of O. volvulus, and sheds light on the life cycle and transmission of the parasite. Using case studies of coffee plantation workers in Guatemala, Robles hypothesized the vector of the disease is a day-biting insect, and more specifically, two anthropophilic species of Simulium flies found to be endemic to the areas. He published his findings on a “new disease” from Guatemala associated with subcutaneous nodules, anterior ocular lesions, dermatitis, and microfilariae in 1917.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Onchocerciasis

    Infection with nematodes of the genus ONCHOCERCA. Characteristics include the presence of firm subcutaneous nodules filled with adult worms, PRURITUS, and ocular lesions.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of onchocerciasis in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of onchocerciasis in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

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"onchocerciasis." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/onchocerciasis>.

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