Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic

roundworm The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a bro ...

. It contains one human parasite – ''

Onchocerca volvulus ''Onchocerca volvulus'' is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that causes onchocerciasis (river blindness), and is the second-leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide after trachoma. It is one of the 20 neglected trop ...

'' – which is responsible for the

neglected disease Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bacter ...

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 blindne ...

, also known as "river blindness" because the infected humans tend to live near rivers where host black flies live. Over 40 million people are infected in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

."Medical Microbiology"
, Indiana State University. Accessed 14 February 2008. Other species affect cattle, horses, etc.

List of species

*'' Onchocerca armillata'' *'' Onchocerca cervicalis'' *'' Onchocerca dukei'' *'' Onchocerca fasciata'' *'' Onchocerca flexuosa'' *'' Onchocerca gibsoni'' *'' Onchocerca gutturosa'' *'' Onchocerca jakutensis'' *'' Onchocerca linealis'' *'' Onchocerca lupi'' *'' Onchocerca ochengi'' *'' Onchocerca ramachandrini'' *'' Onchocerca tubingensis'' *''

References

Parasitic nematodes of mammals Spirurida Secernentea genera {{parasitic animal-stub