Studies on Onchocerca cervicalis Railliet and Henry 1910. I. Onchocerca cervicalis in British horses.
Abstract: 1. 903 horses were examined at 3 abattoirs in South East England. 10(22–7%) of the horses at the London Colney abattoir, 23(13–9%) of those at the Braintree abattoir, Essex, and 90(12–9%) of those at the Islington abattoir, London, were infected with O. cervicalis. All 105 horses examined in Southern Ireland were found to be negative.
2. The adult worms of O. cervicalis were found without exception, in the ligamentum nuchae of infected horses. The suspensory ligaments of the fetlock and flexor tendons were always negative.
3. The microfilariae of O. cervicalis concentrate along the abdominal mid-line of the host. In 5 complete horse hides, 95% of the microfilariae were found within 6 inches of the linea alba. The examination of 31 other horses infected with O. cervicalis confirmed this pattern of microfilarial distribution.
4. The microfilariae were concentrated along the ventral mid-line, of the host; presumably an adaption to accommodate the habits of the vector C. nubeculosus, which bites preferentially in this area.
5. Seasonal variations in the number of microfilariae in horse skin, as reported by Japanese workers, was not observed. Evidence was found, however, to suggest that the microfilariae migrate into the deeper levels of the dermis during the Winter. Histological examination of infected horse skin showed that the microfilariae have a very uneven distribution in the dermis. They congregate together in isolated “clumps” or “nests” and are frequently found in close proximity to the sweat glands or hair follicles.
Publication Date: 1973-01-01 PubMed ID: 4702889DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x00023774Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Diagnosis
- Disease
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Parasites
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
Summary
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The research explores the prevalence and behavior of the Onchocerca cervicalis (a type of parasitic worm) in horses from different abattoirs in South East England and Southern Ireland, detailing the infection rates, locations where they were found in the horse’s body, microfilarial distribution, the worms adaptations to the vector’s behavior and variations in the number of microfilariae in horse skin in different seasons.
Study Sample and Infection Rates
- The study examined 903 horses from three abattoirs located in South East England. It was revealed that various percentages of horses from the different abattoirs showed infection with O. cervicalis. Nonetheless, none of the 105 horses from Southern Ireland showed any signs of O. cervicalis infection.
Parasite Location
- Upon examination, all adult O. cervicalis were found exclusively in the ligamentum nuchae (the nuchal ligament) of the infected horses. Other body parts, such as the suspensory ligaments of the fetlock and flexor tendons, were not infected.
Microfilariae Distribution
- The study found that the microfilariae (offspring of adult worms) of O. cervicalis tend to concentrate along the abdominal midline of the host. Upon examining complete horse hides, the vast majority of the microfilariae were discovered close to the linea alba. This distribution pattern was likewise confirmed on 31 other infected horses.
Adaptation to Vector’s Behavior
- Resultantly, microfilariae were concentrated along the ventral mid-line of the horse likely due to an adaptation strategy relating to the feeding habits of their vector, C. nubeculosus, which tends to bite in this area.
Seasonal Variations
- While research data from Japanese researchers show seasonal variations in the number of microfilariae in horse skin, it was not observed in this study. However, it was seen that the microfilariae might migrate into the deeper layers of the horse’s skin during winter.
- Upon histological examination of infected horse skin, it was found that the microfilariae were generously clumped together or nested, and often near the sweat glands or hair follicles.
Cite This Article
APA
Mellor PS.
(1973).
Studies on Onchocerca cervicalis Railliet and Henry 1910. I. Onchocerca cervicalis in British horses.
J Helminthol, 47(1), 97-110.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x00023774 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- England
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Insect Vectors
- Ireland
- Onchocerciasis / epidemiology
- Onchocerciasis / pathology
- Onchocerciasis / veterinary
- Seasons
- Skin / pathology
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Roe CC, Holiday O, Upshaw-Bia K, Benally G, Williamson CHD, Urbanz J, Verocai GG, Ridenour CL, Nottingham R, Ford MA, Lake DP, Kennedy TA, Hepp CM, Sahl JW. Biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as putative vectors of zoonotic Onchocerca lupi (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) in northern Arizona and New Mexico, southwestern United States. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1167070.
- Gruntmeir J, Kelly M, Ramos RAN, Verocai GG. Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1128611.
- Papini RA, Lubas G, Sgorbini M. Incidental Detection of Onchocerca Microfilariae in Donkeys (Equus asinus) in Italy: Report of Four Cases. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:569916.
- Cambra-Pellejà M, Gandasegui J, Balaña-Fouce R, Muñoz J, Martínez-Valladares M. Zoonotic Implications of Onchocerca Species on Human Health. Pathogens 2020 Sep 17;9(9).
- Bell-Sakyi L, Mohd Jaafar F, Monsion B, Luu L, Denison E, Carpenter S, Attoui H, Mertens PPC. Continuous Cell Lines from the European Biting Midge Culicoides nubeculosus (Meigen, 1830). Microorganisms 2020 May 30;8(6).
- Lia RP, Mutafchiev Y, Veneziano V, Giannelli A, Abramo F, Santoro M, Latrofa MS, Cantacessi C, Martin C, Otranto D, Bertuglia A, Riccio B. Filarial infection caused by Onchocerca boehmi (Supperer, 1953) in a horse from Italy. Parasitol Res 2017 Jan;116(1):191-198.
- Polley L. Onchocerca in horses from Western Canada and the northwestern United States: an abattoir survey of the prevalence of infection. Can Vet J 1984 Mar;25(3):128-9.
- Hussein HS, el Sammani SE. Onchocerca raillieti: release from skin snips, maintenance in vitro and periodicity of microfilariae. Vet Res Commun 1990;14(1):31-9.
- Kolstrup N. ONCHOCERCA GUTTUROSA IN Danish cattle. Prevalence, geographic distribution and host-vector relationships. Acta Vet Scand 1975;16(1):1-13.
- Marcoux M, Fréchette JL, Morin M. [Onchocerca cervicalis infection in Q: clinical signs and diagnostic methods]. Can Vet J 1977 Apr;18(4):108-10.
- Vosála O, Krátký J, Matoušková P, Rychlá N, Štěrbová K, Raisová Stuchlíková L, Vokřál I, Skálová L. Biotransformation of anthelmintics in nematodes in relation to drug resistance. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2025 Apr;27:100579.
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