Morphometric differentiation of onchocerca volvulus and O. ochengi infective larvae

By microinjection of cryopreserved microfilariae (mf) into nulliparous flies, a comparison of the lengths of the infective larvae (L3) of Onchocerca volvulus and O. ochengi from the head of Simulium damnosum s.l. (presumed S. sirbanum) has been made. The suitability of S. sirbanum as a host was similar for both Onchocerca spp. The mean length ± standard deviation of O. ochengi infective larvae measured in aqueous medium after storage of infected flies in liquid nitrogen was 762±63 μm (n=39), significantly longer (P<<0·0001) than those of a savanna isolate of O. volvulus (676±56 μm, n=26). Although the frequency distributions of the lengths of larvae of the 2 species overlapped, a critical value for discrimination of 719 μm applied to normally distributed populations with means and standard deviations of these samples would result in correct classification of 78% of true O. volvulus and 75% of true O. ochengi. A discriminant function analysis incorporating width measurements did not usefully improve the level of accuracy of discrimination. Larvae from flies stored in 70% ethanol and stained with acid haemalum were about 10% shorter, but O. ochengi infective larvae were still proportionately longer than those of O. volvulus (693±40 μm, n=45 compared to 580±38 μm, n=6, respectively). These data show that the infective L3of O. volvulus and O. ochengi differ morphologically. Although the population length distributions overlap, by classifying larvae >719 μm long as O. ochengi and those <719 μm long as O. volvulus a more accurate estimation of true O. volvulus infection rates in S. damnosum s.l. can be derived than is currently possible.