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| | Pathogen of the Week - The Daily Californian (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31) |
 | | Although it is commonly referred to as River Blindness, genital debilitation, depigmentation of the skin, severe rashes and elephantiasis, in addition to blindness, are all symptoms of onchocerciasis. |
 | | The adult Onchocerca volvulus filaria parasites have an average lifespan of 12 years, during which they will produce millions of microscopic embryos that travel throughout the bloodstream, wreaking havoc on everything from optic nerves to your lymphatic system. |
 | | Elephantiasis, also caused by Onchocerca volvulus, is a condition where the male testes swell up to 50 times their normal size. |
| www.dailycal.org /article.php?id=14936 (461 words) |
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