I am to write about an animal that is not very well known by the general populous. This animal must also be a natural resident of the continent of Africa. Rather than report one of the countless deer or goat-like quadrupeds of Africa, I am reporting an animal more microbial in nature. The animal this paper about is known as Onchocerca volvulus.
O. volvulus is a nematode which has a habitat in Africa. It has been seen primarily within the region that contains Tanzania, Uganda, and southern Sudan. The life cycle of O. volvulus begins as a microfilaria within human skin. When a fly feasts on human blood, the microfilaria is ingested. The microfilaria goes through a short period of growth while within the gut of the fly. After this growth period, it makes its way into a human’s bloodstream. It then matures in the bloodstream over a period of several months. Once the maturation is complete, it migrates to the fat of the human host to mate, and the
…show more content…
volvulus is blamed for a number of health problems, but research into this relationship is still in its early stages. O. volvulus has an endosymbiotic relationship with the Wolbachia bacteria. O. volvulus must carry this bacteria or it will not survive its larval stages. Wolbachia and O. volvulus are blamed for onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, and nodding disease. River blindness symptoms include itchy skin, disfigured skin, and visual impairment as severe as permanent blindness. There is little known about nodding disease. Nodding disease induces an odd form of seizure in which the afflicted nods when eating. Nodding disease is fatal. Nodding disease is also believed to cause mental and physical retardation. Nodding disease has only been seen to manifest in children aged five to fifteen. There is no known cure for nodding disease, and those affected have been advised to take anticonvulsants. I am unable to find any information on what happens to those afflicted with nodding disease once they grow
Lerner, E. and Lerner, B., 2008. Giraffes and okapi. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science 4
The American Society of Mammalogists, . Mammalian Species: Alces alces. Vol. 154. 1981. 1-7. Web.
The drive to colonize the continent of Africa in the 19th centuries brought the European imperial powers against difficulties which had never been encountered before. One such difficulty is that of the local wildlife in Africa, such as lions or other big game animals. In The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by Colonel John Patterson, a railway bridge project in East Africa is terrorized by a pair of man-eating lions. This completely true story shows the great difficulty in colonizing Africa by demonstrating the somewhat harsh environment of Africa.
this is the prepatent period. The worms then reside in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels. The worms begin to mate and release microfilaria into the blood stream. When a mosquito bites an infected dog it takes in some of the microfilaria in the blood. After 10 to 30 days there is larvae in the mosquito’s salivary gland which can then be passed on to the next dog the mosquito bites.
I am presenting information on the life, past rate of growth and future of the Olive Baboon. I will demonstrate the community relationship shared by the adult females, males, and juveniles in the troop and how the ranking of females plays an important part of troop dynamics. I will explain the specifics of the climate of the savanna biome and what adaptations the Olive baboon, native to this habitat, has to support its survival and the food chain it is part of. I will further show the omnivores behaviors as a predator to rodents, hares, and Thomson gazelles, as a prey to lions, leopards and hyenas, and as an herbivore, that eats tubers, lemon grass and acacia. Further, I will explore the symbiotic relationship that the Olive baboon shares with the elephants. I will further examine the pivotal role of the Olive Baboon in the ecosystem and their impact on human beings. Finally, I will explain the Olive Baboons place in the biogeochemical cycles that sustain life, in the biome through the recycling of phosphorus, carbon, nitrogen and water
This disgusting worm parasite is spread by flies and mosquitoes. The adult worm spreads its larvae throughout the host’s lymphatic system and causes the lymph nodes to become clogged up. This also makes the tissue in the host’s body to swell up and create massive muscle deformations, otherwise known as elephantiasis. The elephantiasis mainly affects the legs and genitals. The disease also affects the eyes but that can be easily detected through close inspection but it commonly causes river blindness in the host. It’s been estimated that the parasite is one of the leading causes of blindness throughout the world.
The female mosquito bites an infected animal then carries their offspring which are called Microfilariae to your dog. (Administration, Animal and Veterinary)
Works Cited Bates, D. (1957, December 17). Letter from Roy Wilkins. Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America. Beals, M. P. (1994). The Species of the World.
Lee, Richard Borshay. “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari.” Natural History. December 1969. pp 11-15. Natural History Magazine, Inc. 1969.
The family of Elephantidae shows a high rate of evolution, early stages of which were confined to Africa, while later stages occurred in Eurasia (Kalmykov & Mashchenko, 2006). Numerous studies have been conducted to understand the phylogeny of Elephantidae, and many of the researches have concluded different answers. Maglio, Beden, and Todd each concluded their research with phylogenetic trees that contrasted with each other.
... Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa. Ed. Roland Oliver. 1. New York: Trewin Copplestone Books Limited, 1984. Print.
Tourists enjoy visiting the mountains of Rwanda to admire the gorillas and encourage their safety; however, humans help put mountain gorillas at risk. In 1999, a team of researchers with the Journal of Parasitology noted roundworm parasites in the feces of mountain gorillas (Ferber, 2000). These parasites normally affect only humans through contaminated water. Early, in 1988, blood and tissue samples of several mountain gorillas indicated measles infection (Ferber, 2000).
Bohannan, Paul, and Philip Curtin. Africa & Africans . Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc. , 1995.
Grubb, P. 2005, "Giraffe camelopardalis", In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. Mammal Species of the World, Johns Hopkins University Press.
African natural life safaris make for the experience of a lifetime. Nothing could be more energizing than seeing wild and intriguing creatures, for example, lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, bison and panthers in their common natural surroundings, going about their days the way individuals just see on documentaries. Take that, combined with the marvelous landscape in savannahs, deltas and woodlands that stay untainted by human exercises.