onchocerciasis

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on·cho·cer·ci·a·sis

(ŏng′kō-sər-kī′ə-sĭs)

Any of several diseases caused by infestation with filarial worms of the genus Onchocerca, especially a disease of humans caused by O. volvulus and characterized by nodular swellings on the skin and eye lesions that can result in blindness. Transmitted by black flies of the genus Simulium, the disease occurs in tropical regions of Africa and Central and South America. Also called river blindness.

[New Latin Onchocerca, genus name (Greek onkos, barb + Greek kerkos, tail) + -iasis.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

onchocerciasis

(ˌɒŋkəʊsəˈkaɪəsɪs)

n, pl -ses (-siːz)

(Pathology) a disease found in parts of Africa and tropical America that is caused by a parasitic worm, Onchocerca volvulus, and transmitted to humans by various species of black fly. It results in inflammation of the skin and in some cases blindness. Also called: river blindness

[C20: from Onchocerca, the genus of worms + -iasis]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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Noun

onchocerciasis - infestation with slender threadlike roundworms (filaria) deposited under the skin by the bite of black fleas; when the eyes are involved it can result in blindness; common in Africa and tropical America

river blindness

infestation - the state of being invaded or overrun by parasites

Translations

onchocerciasis

n oncocercosis f

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