Study Sheds Light on Parasite that Causes River Blindness (IMAGE)
Caption
The parasite that causes river blindness infects about 37 million people in parts of Africa and Latin America, causing blindness and other major eye and skin diseases in about 5 million of them. A study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on the genetic makeup of the parasite, a step toward the goal of eradication. Pictured is a 'nest' of the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus that causes river blindness. A new genomic survey of the parasite may provide clues to how the worm has become resistant to drug therapies.
Credit
Thomas Unnasch
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