Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic

roundworm The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (hel ...

. 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 tro ...

'' – which is responsible for the

neglected disease ''Xestia castanea'', the grey rustic or neglected, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from central Europe to Morocco, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Syria. Technical description and variation The wingspan is 36–42 mm. F ...

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. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

."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 is a genus of parasitic roundworm. It contains one human parasite – ''Onchocerca volvulus'' – which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis, also known as "river blindness" because the infected humans tend to live ...

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Onchocerca gibsoni ''Onchocerca gibsoni'' is a species of nematodes belonging to the family Onchocercidae The Onchocercidae are a family of nematodes in the superfamily Filarioidea. This family includes some of the most devastating human parasitic diseases, su ...

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Onchocerca gutturosa ''Onchocerca gutturosa'' is a species of nematodes belonging to the family Onchocercidae The Onchocercidae are a family of nematodes in the superfamily Filarioidea. This family includes some of the most devastating human parasitic diseases, ...

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Onchocerca jakutensis Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic roundworm. It contains one human parasite – ''Onchocerca volvulus'' – which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis, also known as "river blindness" because the infected humans tend to live ...

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Onchocerca linealis Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic nematode, roundworm. It contains one human parasite – ''Onchocerca volvulus'' – which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis, also known as "river blindness" because the infected humans te ...

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Onchocerca lupi ''Onchocerca lupi'' is a nematode that causes ocular onchocerciasis, an eye disease, in canines and felines. The parasite was first described in 1967 in a wolf from Georgia. The other ''Onchocerca'' spp., '' O. volvulus'', is a human parasite tha ...

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Onchocerca ochengi Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic roundworm. It contains one human parasite – ''Onchocerca volvulus'' – which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis, also known as "river blindness" because the infected humans tend to live ...

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Onchocerca ramachandrini Onchocerca is a genus of parasitic roundworm. It contains one human parasite – ''Onchocerca volvulus'' – which is responsible for the neglected disease Onchocerciasis, also known as "river blindness" because the infected humans tend to live ...

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Onchocerca tubingensis ''Onchocerca tubingensis'' is the name of a nematode. It was discovered in 1974 and published by O. Bain und H. Schulz-Key in ''Tropenmedizin und Parasitologie'' and named after Tübingen. Red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') are the host of this paras ...

'' *''

References

Parasitic nematodes of mammals Spirurida Rhabditida genera {{Rhabditida-stub