Onchocerciasis “River Blindess” the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness Pooja Makam
Feb 11, 2016
Onchocerciasis“River Blindess”
the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness
Pooja Makam
Prevalence!
95% + of cases occur within 30 African countries!17.7 Million INFECTED!
40% of cases are in Nigeria!!!300, 000 people are blind
Who’s at Risk??
West AfricaCentral/South
AmericaYemenPeople living
near fast moving rivers
Fast Moving Water is Well
oxygenated= Great
breeding ground!
78 millon people at risk!!
Causative Agent
Black fly- Simulium
Onchocerca volvolus
Causative
Agent!Vector!
How do we get sick from a fly?
Death of Microfilaria Inflammatory Response
DiagnosisPresence of microfilaria in blood, urine and
eyes
TreatmentMedication= Ivermectin
Kills by paralyzing microfilariae(larvae)
NO Reproduction
NO Inflammatory Resonse- No Lesions
Mechanism of IvermectinGlutamate-gated Chloride Channels- found only in
Invertebrate
Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential (IPSP)
decreases future action Potential
Paralysis
DEATH
Irreversibly activates channel receptors in worm
Repeated Ivermectin exposure Resistance!Due to genetic changes in parasitegenetic marker = â-tubulin gene
Roger Prichard (McGill University, Canada) and colleagues
No Vaccinations!!Currently no safe drug available to cure this
disease or prevent it!FUTURE??
Research: Some Cattle develop natural immunity to disease
Socioeconomic ImpactBlindness = up to 50% of adults in W. AfricaAbandoned the fertile river -valleys in fear of
contracting the disease + adults were blind and could not work Poverty and famine!!
1974: economic losses =$30 million need for Prevention Programs !
Prevention: VECTOR CONTROLOnchocerciasis Control Programme-OCP in West
Africa(1974) African Program for Onchoceriasis Control APOC- (1997)Pesticide SprayingClear brush/vegetation from the banks of fast
running streams to reduce the number of flies Avoid sleeping outdoors in the day time
Treatment Span OCP= (green)
APOC=(yellow)
References:http://www.who.int/topics/onchocerciasis/en/http://www.utmb.edu/gsbs/microbook/images/fig92_3.JPGhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://
www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Filariasis.htmhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://
www.mectizan.org/images/onchoafricamap.jpgTRD Wellcome trust
Scientists Step Closer To New Treatments For River Blindness- ScienceDaily (Apr. 16, 2006)
River Blindness Parasite Becoming Resistant To Standard Treatment-ScienceDaily (Sep. 5, 2007)
WHOCDC