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The ultrastructure of the anterior end of male Onchocerca volvulus: papillae, amphids, nerve ring and first indication of an excretory system in the adult filarial worm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

G. Strote ,
I. Bonow  and
S. Attah
G. Strote*
Affiliation:
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Helminthology/Entomology, D-20359 Hamburg, FRG
I. Bonow
Affiliation:
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Department of Helminthology/Entomology, D-20359 Hamburg, FRG
S. Attah
Affiliation:
Onchocerciasis Chemotherapy Research Centre, c/o Hohoe Hospital P.O. Box 144, Hohoe, Ghana
*
*Corresponding author. Tel: 0049 40 31182 412. Fax: 0049 40 31182 309. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

A detailed morphological investigation of the anterior sensory organs, the nerve ring and a glomerulus-like structure in male Onchocerca volvulus was performed by means of electron microscopy. The 8 head papillae are arranged in the common 4 + 4 pattern of most filarial worms in circles around the mouth opening. The amphidial openings are found between the circles of inner and outer papillae on both sides of the mouth. Inside, several additional nerve axons are seen in the tissue of the anterior tip not related to one of the identified papillar structures. The inner and outer papillae exhibit a remarkably different fine structure, and are part of a complex system of at least 2 different receptor cell types at the anterior tip of the worm. The amphidial channel contains 8 modified cilia; accessory axons are associated with the cytoplasm of the sheath cell. The anterior nerve ring of male worms is located about 150 µm posterior from the outermost tip of the head region. It consists of several fibres coiled around the oesophagus. The comparison of the fine structure of the central nervous system did not show the expected morphological differences associated with the heterogeneous age distribution in the natural worm population. This was in contrast to previous findings with respect to tissues in different parts of the worm. The study also provides the first evidence that suggests the existence of an excretory organ in a filarial worm in the region of the anterior nerve ring. Paired glomerulus-like structures in the lateral chords and a canal formed by a projection of the basal zone of the cuticle were identified.

Keywords

ultrastructurenervous systemsensory organsOnchocerca volvulusFilarioidea
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 113 , Issue 1 , July 1996 , pp. 71 - 85
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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