Onchocerca volvulus is a parasite worm that already affects 25 million people from all around the world in one of the most dangerous way. These are found in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Latin America. It can live for more than a decade under the skin and often make
their way into your eyes.
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| Black fly, carrier of Onchocerca volvulus |
A lecturer in parasitology and evolutionary biology at Australia's University of New England, Tommy Leung said," Nearly a third of the people affected
by Onchocerca larvae will end up with one of these parasites in their
eye, promoting a high chances of blind due to the
infection.
Although Onchocerca volvulus are
not only eye-loving parasites present out there. There are also
different varieties these parasites, According to Tommy Leung, parasitic flatworms called Oculatrema hippopotami love to live under the eye lids of iconic animal of Africa i.e hippopotamuses and parasitic flukes called Philophthalmidae are well known for feeding on the tear of birds.
Flukes are a type of primitive
flatworm. They found all over the world and ranging from a few millimeters to
several centimeters long. The species of flukes that exists are more than 10,000 and many of them live in the guts of birds.
Why Onchocerca volvulus blind their hosts?
When they wander through the body in search to reach the skin, some of them end up move forcefully into the eye. With this inflammatory reaction caused by the bacteria that a parasite carries known as Wolbachia. This results in an untreatable damage that can lead to blindness.
The African Program for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) was introduced in 1995 to control the spread of Onchocerca parasite, but its goal has been changed now to destroy completely these parasites. We are hopeful that in the near future this program will save
millions of people from this blinding
parasite.
This above video shows how freshwater fish from New Zealand known as bully fighting with a large larval fluke in its eyeball.
Source: The Conversation
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