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Confirmed cases of human Onchocerca lupi infection: a systematic review of an emerging threat

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Abstract

Diverse Onchocerca species are present mostly parasitizing ungulates, with the exception of Onchocerca volvulus (O. volvulus) in humans and O. lupi in canids and cats. The human cases due to the O. lupi have been more highlighted during last years. So, the present review was performed to determine the detailed characteristics of confirmed human O. lupi case reports documented worldwide. Hence, a systematic search was done using English international databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest, and Google Scholar). Totally, 14 confirmed human cases were documented during the last decade, mostly from the USA and Turkey with 7 and 3 cases, respectively. Most cases (7 individuals) were male with the age range of 22-month-old to 54-year-old. The parasite was frequently isolated from the right eye (5 cases), followed by the left eye (4 cases), cervical spinal canal (3 cases), scalp, and right forearm (one case each). Molecular identification of the isolated agent was the preferred way of diagnosis in most cases (9 records). In conclusion, human O. lupi cases have been more highlighted in recent years, whether due to the improved diagnostics and/or host-switching phenomenon, and both veterinarians and healthcare authorities should be alerted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Ali Asghari

  2. Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University of Sanandaj, Sanandaj, Iran

    Ghazaaleh Adhami

  3. Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Seyyed Ali Shariatzadeh

  4. Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Seyyed Ali Shariatzadeh

  5. Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Seyyed Ali Shariatzadeh

  6. Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

    Bahareh Kordi

  7. Department of Parasitology, Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Davood Anvari

  8. School of Medicine, Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iranshahr, Iran

    Davood Anvari

  9. Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran

    Morteza Shams & Hamidreza Majidiani

  10. Student Research Committee, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran

    Morteza Shams

  11. Pathobiology Department, Shahmirzad School of Veterinary Medicine, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

    Mohammad Mahdi Darvishi

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  1. Ali Asghari
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Correspondence to Morteza Shams or Hamidreza Majidiani.

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Asghari, A., Adhami, G., Shariatzadeh, S.A. et al. Confirmed cases of human Onchocerca lupi infection: a systematic review of an emerging threat. Parasitol Res 120, 3633–3644 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07309-2

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