Disease or Syndrome
onchocerciasis Audio
on·cho·cer·ci·a·sis [ ong-koh-ser-kahy-uh-sis ]
Subclass of:
Skin Diseases, Parasitic; Filariasis
Also called:
River Blindness
Definitions related to onchocerciasis:
  • A disease caused by infection with Onchocerca volvulus; symptoms may include pruritis and blindness.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An infection that is caused by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus, which most commonly occurs in tropical climates, and which is transmitted by bites from a black fly. Symptoms include intense pruritus, inflammation, and swelling of skin; if the larvae migrate to the eye, blindness can occur.
    NICHD Pediatric Terminology
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Infection with nematodes of the genus Onchocerca; characteristics include the presence of firm subcutaneous nodules filled with adult worms, pruritus, and ocular lesions.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Onchocerciasis is a filarial nematode infection with Onchocerca volvulus. Blackflies (Simulium species) are responsible for transmission. Symptoms are subcutaneous nodules, pruritus, dermatitis, adenopathy, atrophy and scarring of skin, and eye lesions that may lead to blindness. Diagnosis is by finding microfilariae in skin samples, the...
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
  • Onchocerciasis is an infection caused by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus. Humans acquire onchocerciasis through the bite of Simulium blackflies.
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2019
  • Onchocerciasis is a rare tropical parasitic disease transmitted by a black fly. Infection by the parasite can cause eye and skin problems. In humans, the parasitic worms live under the skin (subcutaneous nodules) and produce larvae (microfilariae). The larvae are found throughout the body, but especially in the skin and eyes. Repeated...
    NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • Onchocerciasis, filarial disease caused by the helminth Onchocerca volvulus, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of the black fly Simulium. The disease is found chiefly in Mexico, Guatemala, and Venezuela in the Americas and in sub-Saharan Africa in a broad belt extending from Senegal on the...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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