Definition of "onchocerciasis" [onchocerciasis]

• A disease 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 lesions of the eyes. Transmitted by black flies, the disease occurs in tropical regions of Africa and Central America. Also called river blindness. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Hence the popular name for the disease that is more correctly called onchocerciasis, which can also produce a disfiguring skin inflammation and intense itching."
• "The disease, also called onchocerciasis, is caused by a parasitic worm, Onchocerca volvulus, whose larvae are transmitted in the bite of the black fly, which breeds by fast-flowing streams."
• "Also known as onchocerciasis, river blindness affects more than 17 million people worldwide, particularly in rural Africa."