Onchocerca gutturosa

  

Contents

  

Rev 10/13/2025

  Classification Hosts
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Onchocerca Menu Economic Importance Damage
Distribution Management
Return to Onchocercidae Menu Feeding  References
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Classification:

Chromadorea
 Chromadoria

 Rhabditida 

                               Spirurina
                                  Filarioidea
                           Filariidae or
  • Onchocercidae
    • Onchocerca gutturosa (Stiles, 1892) Railliet & Henry, 1910

  • Synonyms:
  • Onchocerca lienalis Stiles, 1892
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    Morphology and Anatomy:

       

     

     

    Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:         
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    Distribution:

     

    Onchocerca gutturosa infects cattle and water buffalo worldwide. As a parsite of the definitive host, it is located in or around the ligamentum nuchae, a fibrous ligamernt of the neck that supports the cervical spine, and in the gastroplenic ligament which connest the stomach and the spleen.

     
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    Economic Importance:

     

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    Feeding: 

    Biology and Epidemiology

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    Hosts:

     
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    Life Cycle:

    In filarial nematodes, two hosts are necessary to complete the life cycle; an intermediate host (often an arthropd) and a primary or definitive host (usually a vertebrate). The juvenile stages occur in the intermediate host and the reproductive adult in the definitive (primary) host.

      In Onchocerca gutterosa, the intermediate hosts are Simulium spp (blackfles) and heleomyzid flies,

    The female nematode lays eggs in the host blood stream and these enter fly when it bites the human, Changes into larval stage (the microfilariae) within 24 hours after fly has first blood meal. Spreads throughout hosts muscles (vector is the Simulium commonly known as "the black fly" - vector bites the definitive host and microfilariae enter through wound; gradually grow into adult stages;

    Ecophysiological Parameters:

    For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters
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    Damage:

    Pathology

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    Management:

     
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    References:

    Dzimianski, M.T., Marchiaondo, A.A., Cruthers, L.R. 2020. Nematoda, Filarioidea. Chapter 2 in Marchiondo, Cruthers and Fourie (eds) Parasiticide Screening Vol 2. Academic Press.

    Peters, W. and Gilles, H.M. 1991. A Colour Atlas of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. Third edn., Wolfe, London.

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    For more information about nematodes, Go to Nemaplex Home Page.
    Copyright  1999 by Howard Ferris.
    Revised: October 13, 2025.