[Filariae of rodents useful for the experimental study of human onchocerciasis]

In order to obtain skin and ocular lesions comparable to those which are found in human onchocerciasis, it is not necessary to use members of the genus Onchocerca which are found in large animals and difficult to use. Other Filariae with biological features comparable to Onchocerca volvulus can be used in which microfilariae are localized in capillaries and can escape from the walls and produce lesions similar to those in onchocerciasis. The life cycles of several filariae of rodents have been worked out and they are proposed as experimental models as the tick vectors and the rodent hosts are easily maintained in the laboratory.