Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1977;55(6):731–737.

The microfilarial load in the anterior segment of the eye. A parameter of intensity of onchocerciasis*

B Thylefors, U K Brinkmann
PMCID: PMC2366711  PMID: 304397

Abstract

The presence of microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus in the eye is associated with an increased risk of deterioration of existing eye lesions. An opthalmological and parasitological examination of 630 persons was carried out in a hyperendemic focus of onchocerciasis in northern Togo. The prevalence of microfilariae increased in the cornea as well as the anterior chamber up to the age of 40-50 years, then decreased. The prevalence of onchocercal punctate keratitis, on the other hand, showed a peak for the age group 10-20 years. In two-thirds of the cases microfilariae were present in the anterior chamber as well as in the cornea. The relative distribution of microfilariae between the anterior chamber and the cornea did not change with the development of severe anterior lesions but in cases with severe posterior lesions relatively more microfilariae were found in the anterior chamber than in the cornea. In all cases of severe ocular lesions the numbers of microfilariae both in the anterior chamber and in the cornea were increased. The average number of microfilariae in the eye can be used as a parameter to enumerate the severity of ocular onchocerciasis.

Full text

PDF
731

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson J., Fuglsang H., Hamilton P. J., de Marshall T. F. The prognostic value of head nodules and microfilariae in the skin in relation to ocular onchocerciasis. Tropenmed Parasitol. 1975 Jun;26(2):191–195. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson J., Fuglsang H. Letter: Living microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus in the cornea. Br J Ophthalmol. 1973 Sep;57(9):712–712. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Anderson J., Fuglsang H., Marshall T. F. Studies on onchocerciasis in the United Cameroon Republic. III. A four year follow-up of 6 rain-forest and 6 Sudan-savanna villages. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1976;70(5-6):362–373. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(76)90112-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Anderson J., Fuglsang H. Variation in numbers of microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus in the anterior chamber of the human eye. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1973;67(4):544–548. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(73)90085-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Budden F. H. OCULAR LESIONS OF ONCHOCERCIASIS. Br J Ophthalmol. 1962 Jan;46(1):1–11. doi: 10.1136/bjo.46.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Budden F. H. The natural history of ocular onchocerciasis over a period of 14--15 years and the effect on this of a single course of suramin therapy. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1976;70(5-6):484–491. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(76)90134-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Diallo J., Loreal E. Le massage oculaire dans le diagnostic de l'onchocercose. Bull Soc Med Afr Noire Lang Fr. 1968;13(3):481–483. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Duke B. O., Vincelette J., Moore P. J. Microfilariae in the cerebrospinal fluid, and neurological complications, during treatment of onchocerciasis with diethylcarbamazine. Tropenmed Parasitol. 1976 Jun;27(2):123–132. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fuglsang H., Anderson J. Microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus in blood and urine before, during, and after treatment with diethylcarbamazine. J Helminthol. 1974 Jun;48(2):93–97. doi: 10.1017/s0022149x00022653. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hamilton P. J., de Marshall T. F., Anderson J., Fuglsang H. Observer variation in clinical onchocerciasis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1974;68(3):187–189. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(74)90115-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Neumann E., Gunders A. E. Pathogenesis of the posterior segment lesion of ocular onchocerciasis. Am J Ophthalmol. 1973 Jan;75(1):82–89. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(73)90656-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Paul E. V., Zimmerman L. E. Some observations on the ocular pathology of onchocerciasis. Hum Pathol. 1970 Dec;1(4):581–594. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(70)80058-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rolland A. Résultats de deux examens oculaires pretiqués á 6 ans d'intervalle dans deu. Bull World Health Organ. 1974;51(3):257–261. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SARKIES J. W. R. Ophthalmoscopy detection of microfilaria of Onchocerca volvulus. Lancet. 1951 Jun 2;1(6666):1205–1206. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(51)92709-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the World Health Organization are provided here courtesy of World Health Organization

RESOURCES