Collins R C, Lujan R, Figueroa H, Campbell C C
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1982 Mar;31(2):267-9. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1982.31.267.
Thirty-eight nodules containing adults of Onchocerca volvulus were removed from 36 patients who had no detectable microfilariae in skin snips. Worms were digested from nodules in collagenase solution, maintained alive in vitro, and the number, sex, and state of fecundity were recorded. A total of 48 female and 8 male worms were recovered; 39 females were in the nodules without the presence of a male. Eleven females (22.9%) had microfilariae in utero or produced microfilariae in vitro; seven of these were found together with males in the nodules while four were not. No nodules were found around male worms unless a female was also present. These observations indicate that the nodule forms only around female worms and that mating probably occurs before or early during nodule formation. Furthermore, the production of microfilariae by the the female is not essential for nodule formation since many nodules contained non-fecund, living females.
从36名皮肤切片中未检测到微丝蚴的患者身上取出了38个含有盘尾丝虫成虫的结节。将结节中的蠕虫在胶原酶溶液中消化，在体外维持存活，并记录其数量、性别和生殖状态。总共回收了48条雌虫和8条雄虫；39条雌虫存在于没有雄虫的结节中。11条雌虫（22.9%）子宫内有微丝蚴或在体外产生微丝蚴；其中7条与雄虫一起存在于结节中，而4条没有。除非同时存在雌虫，否则在雄虫周围未发现结节。这些观察结果表明，结节仅在雌虫周围形成，交配可能发生在结节形成之前或早期。此外，雌虫产生微丝蚴对于结节形成并非必不可少，因为许多结节中含有未受精的活雌虫。
