RESEARCH ARTICLE Onchocerca volvulus infection and serological prevalence, ocular onchocerciasis and parasite transmission in northern and central Togo after decades of Simulium damnosum s.l. vector control and mass drug administration of ivermectin a1111111111 a1111111111 Kossi Komlan1³, Patrick S. Vossberg2³, Richard G. Gantin1,2, Tchalim Solim3, a1111111111 Francois Korbmacher2, MeÂba Banla3, Koffi Padjoudoum4, Potchoziou Karabou4, a1111111111 Carsten KoÈ hler2, Peter T. Soboslay1,2* a1111111111 1 Onchocerciasis Reference Laboratory, National Institute of Hygiene, SokodeÂ, Togo, 2 Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of TuÈbingen, University Clinics, TuÈbingen, Germany, 3 Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Campus, Universite de LomeÂ, LomeÂ, Togo, 4 National Onchocerciasis Control Program, Kara, Togo ³ KK and SPV are equally contributing first authors of this work. OPEN ACCESS *
[email protected] Citation: Komlan K, Vossberg PS, Gantin RG, Solim T, Korbmacher F, Banla M, et al. (2018) Onchocerca volvulus infection and serological Abstract prevalence, ocular onchocerciasis and parasite transmission in northern and central Togo after decades of Simulium damnosum s.l. vector control and mass drug administration of ivermectin. PLoS Background Negl Trop Dis 12(3): e0006312. https://doi.org/ Mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin has become the main intervention to control 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006312 onchocerciasis or ªriver blindnessº. In Togo, after many years of MDA, Onchocerca volvulus Editor: Matthew C. Freeman, Emory University, infection has declined dramatically, and elimination appears achievable, but in certain river UNITED STATES basins the current situation remains unknown. We have conducted parasitological, serologi- Received: March 15, 2017 cal, ophthalmological, and entomological assessments in northern and central Togo within Accepted: February 12, 2018 the river basins of OÃ ti, KeÂran and MoÃ.