ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2022
Identification of the onchocerciasis vector in the Kakoi-Koda focus of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Declining Onchocerca volvulus transmission despite limited ivermectin delivery in the Kakoi-Koda focus, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo: An epidemiological, entomological and landscape evidence synthesis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Onchocerca volvulus infection prevalence and intensity in Logo and Nyarambe Health Zones in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2010 and in 2021-2023: results of screening for clinical trials of moxidectin versus ivermectin.Parasites & vectors · 2026Article
- Morphological and Molecular Investigation of Non-Insects · 2025Article
- Global hotspots and academic trends of vector-borne diseases in the order Diptera (Arthropoda: Insecta): a bibliometric visualisation.Folia parasitologica · 2025Article
- AssessingPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6-10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
17 authors at 9 institutions in 9 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe objective of this study was to characterise the vector in a small hyper-endemic focus of onchocerciasis (the Kakoi-Koda focus) which has recently been discovered on the western slopes of the rift valley above Lake Albert. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsAquatic stages of blackflies were collected by hand from streams and rivers, and anthropophilic adult females were collected by human landing catches. Using a combination of morphotaxonomy and DNA barcoding, the blackflies collected biting humans within the focus were identified as Simulium dentulosum and Simulium vorax, which were also found breeding in local streams and rivers. Simulium damnosum s.l., Simulium neavei and Simulium albivirgulatum were not found (except for a single site in 2009 where crabs were carrying S. neavei). Anthropophilic specimens from the focus were screened for Onchocerca DNA using discriminant qualitative real-time triplex PCR. One specimen of S. vorax was positive for Onchocerca volvulus in the body, and out of 155 S. dentulosum, 30% and 11% were infected and infective (respectively). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Simulium dentulosum currently appears to be the main vector of human onchocerciasis within the Kakoi-Koda focus, and S. vorax may be a secondary vector. It remains possible that S. neavei was the main (or only) vector in the past having now become rare as a result of the removal of tree-cover and land-use changes. Simulium vorax has previously been shown to support the development of O. volvulus in the laboratory, but this is the first time that S. dentulosum has been implicated as a probable vector of onchocerciasis, and this raises the possibility that other blackfly species which are not generally considered to be anthropophilic vectors might become vectors under suitable conditions. Because S. dentulosum is not a vector in endemic areas surrounding the Kakoi-Koda focus, it is probable that the Kakoi-Koda focus is significantly isolated.
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