Onchocerca armillata: prevalence and pathology in Sudanese cattle

Cattle of various ages from Khartoum Province and western Sudan were surveyed for Onchocerca armillata infection by skin snip examination and some also at post-mortem examination. The former method reliably detected infection in cattle aged between nine months and eight years. Several of the older infected animals had no microfilariae in their skin. Prevalence rate and number of microfilariae per gram of skin were higher in male than in female cattle and in animals from western Sudan than those from Khartoum province. Severe pathological changes were seen in the thoracic aorta, brachiocephalic, costocervical and brachial arteries and posteriorly in the abdominal aorta to its bifurcation into the iliac arteries.