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PubMed1989

Disease and mortality in small ruminants in the North West Province of Cameroon.

Mortality rates and the prevalence of disease were assessed in 115 flocks of traditionally managed sheep and goats in two Divisions of the North West Province of Cameroon by means of a questionnaire to the owners. The mortality rate was significantly higher in sheep than in goats and also higher in young stock than in adults. Tethering the animals during the day resulted in significantly lower mortality in both adult and young sheep and also in kids. Disease problems of small ruminants, identified on the basis of signs reported by their owners, included intestinal parasitism, especially helminthiasis, tick infestation and associated diseases, pneumonia, goat plague (peste des petits ruminants) and Oestrus ovis infestation. Treatment of sick animals was only practised on a very small scale, often by possibly ineffective traditional methods. The owners identified tick infestation and diarrhoea as common causes of death. Recommendations are made on control measures suitable for application in this area.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2004

Cerebral toxocariasis: a possible cause of epileptic seizure in children.

INTRODUCTION: Toxocariasis is a worldwide human helminthiasis, which is mostly asymptomatic and caused by toxocara canis, a roundworm in dogs. These can cause visceral larva migrans syndrome in humans who ingest contaminated soil. CNS manifestation with a focal mass lesion is very rare, seizures often being the first symptom. CASE REPORT: We describe an 11-year-old girl presenting with a generalized epileptic seizure and eosinophilia in blood. Under antibiotic therapy under the assumption of toxoplasmosis the lesion did not decrease and surgical resection was considered. We used computer-assisted surgery (CAS) for careful tissue resection. Postoperatively the diagnosis of toxocariasis was confirmed and albendozole medication was administered for 7 days. The patient developed well without neurological deficits or seizures. CONCLUSION: We conclude that although neurological involvement is rare in toxocariasis, a cerebral infection in a child with epileptic seizures and eosinophilia should be considered.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Canine echinococcosis in northern Jordan: increased prevalence and dominance of sheep/dog strain.

A total of 112 stray and semi-stray dogs (Canis familiaris) from four different geographical areas in northern and middle Jordan were necropsied to evaluate the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminthiasis. Of these, 33 dogs (29.5%) were infected with Echinococcus granulosus and 61 (54.5%) with other Taenia species. Other cestodes found included Dipylidium caninum in 36 dogs (32.1%), Diplopylidium in 6 dogs (5.4%), Mesocestoides sp. in 3 dogs (2.7%) and Joyuexiella in 1 dog (0.9%). Toxocara nematodes were found in 10 dogs (9.2%) and only 1 dog was positive for acanthocephalans. Among the dogs infected with E. granulosus, 8 dogs (24.2%) had a worm load higher than 1,000 worms. The ratio of infected male to female dogs was 1.9:1.0. Strain analysis of E. granulosus using random primers revealed the dominance of the G1 strain (sheep/dog strain) in the region. Only one dog harbored another E. granulosus strain, which resembled the G4 strain pattern.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Distribution of enterobiasis among nursery school children in SE Estonia and of other helminthiases in Estonia.

The occurrence of helminthiases in Estonia was under extensive observation from 1956 until 1989. Enterobiasis had remained the most prevalent helminthiasis in Estonia in the 1990s. After 1990, the number of helminthological studies decreased. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence and possible risk factors of enterobiasis among nursery school children in Southeast Estonia. A total of 954 nursery school children were examined from 22 nursery schools in Tartu and Põlva counties in Estonia. Enterobius vermicularis infection was detected using the anal swab technique. The parents of tested children were asked to complete questionnaires so as to ascertain the potential risk factors in children's homes and in their families. The overall rate of being positive for E. vermicularis egg was 24.4%. The occurrence of enterobiasis among the examined nursery schools ranged from 11.8 to 46.2% and from 0 to 61.1% in nursery school groups. All nursery schools were infected. Children 5-8 years of age showed a significantly higher rate of being positive for E. vermicularis egg than the younger children. The overall infection rate was higher among boys and among children from larger families. The infection rate was related to washing of hands after closet use. The socioeconomic status of the family was not associated with the frequency of enterobiasis.

Anal Canal↗
PubMed1989

Eosinophil responses in sheep selected for high and low responsiveness to Trichostrongylus colubriformis.

A breeding programme, based on selection for faecal egg counts, has produced lines of sheep which demonstrate either increased resistance (high responder) or susceptibility (low responder) to challenge infection with T. colubriformis after vaccination with irradiated larvae. Circulating blood eosinophilia, a hallmark of helminth infections, was examined in third generation lambs from two separate selective matings and random bred control lambs. Numbers of eosinophils were higher in high responder lambs when compared to low responders after vaccination and challenge infections. Analysis of eosinophil counts confirmed a strong line effect and there was no evidence of a sex effect. Random bred lambs showed wide individual variations in eosinophil numbers and their response to infection. It was concluded that peripheral eosinophilia was more a measure of host responsiveness to infection than an indicator of helminthiasis. As such the eosinophil may serve as an indicator of the hosts ability to respond to T. colubriformis vaccination and infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Immunodiagnosis of human trichinellosis and identification of specific antigen for Trichinella spiralis.

Crude antigens obtained from the infective stage larvae of Trichinella spiralis were used in an ELISA for detecting IgG antibodies to T. spiralis in serum samples collected from three groups of individuals. The individuals of the first group were parasitologically confirmed trichinellosis patients, while those of group 2 were patients with other helminthiasis and group 3 were healthy, parasite-free individuals. The specificity of the assay was 96.8% when performed on sera of groups 2 and 3. Cross-reaction was observed with the sera of patients with capillariasis, gnathostomiasis, opisthorchiasis, and strongyloidiasis and opisthorchiasis with hookworm infection. The sensitivity of the test was 100% when performed on sera of group 1, which were collected 57 days after infection. Western blot analysis revealed that a specific antigen for T. spiralis was a component of M(r) 109.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Use of a monoclonal antibody specific for a protein epitope of Echinococcus granulosus antigen 5 in a competitive antibody radioimmunoassay for diagnosis of hydatid disease.

A monoclonal antibody (mAb) designated as EG 02 154/12, specific for the major antigen (antigen 5) of Echinococcus granulosus was produced, and used to study the binding sites recognized by anti-antigen 5 antibodies from patients with hydatid disease. The nature of the target epitope was partially characterized. The antibody reactivity was analyzed towards sheep hydatid fluid antigens (SHF Ag) using ELISA, immunoelectrophoresis (IEP), Western blotting (WB), and immunoprecipitation (IP). In IEP, EG 02 154/12 mAb gave a single precipitin of Ag 5. The mAb and human hydatid patient sera recognized a major antigen of 64 kDa, in SHF Ag analyzed in non-reducing conditions. Both types of antibodies revealed two components of 37 and 22 kDa in reducing conditions. Deglycosylation and delipidation of SHF Ag did not affect the mAb binding. These results, together with the observation of mAb binding to in vitro translation products from protoscoleces messenger RNA, suggest the protein nature of the epitope recognized on the antigen 5. Using competitive antibody radioimmunoassay (CRIA), a competition between this mAb and hydatid patient sera, for the same epitope or closely related sites on antigen 5, was observed. No such competition was detected with the sera from other helminthiasis. The sensitivity and specificity of CRIA was compared to that of ELISA and CRIA found to be an improved diagnostic test for hydatid disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Epidemiological aspects of Trichuris and trichuriasis in Caribbean communities.

The review argues for a reappraisal of the health significance of the human whipworm, Trichuris trichiura. Infections with this geohelminth are at least as prevalent as Ascaris lumbricoides in many localities, and are associated with significant morbidity. Infection may result in severe trichuriasis syndrome or, more frequently, in a chronic colitis associated with growth stunting. Under-reporting of the chronic manifestations of disease has resulted in a gross under-estimation of the health impact of trichuriasis. Furthermore, estimation of the population dynamical parameters of T. trichiura transmission suggests that whipworm infections are intrinsically more resistant to control than those of other common geohelminths. A major determinant of the transmission dynamics and morbidity characteristics of this helminthiasis is the aggregation of worm burdens in certain predisposed individuals and age groups. It is suggested that improved understanding of the factors generating this distribution of infection intensity is a pre-requisite for effective control of both infection and morbidity.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Control of intestinal nematode infections by chemotherapy: mass treatment versus diagnostic screening.

There is increasing interest in the implementation of programmes to control nematodiases by chemotherapy, but no consensus on whether diagnostic screening before treatment is an essential component of such programmes. It is estimated that a screening component increases costs by a factor of 2-6 and may be beyond the economic and skill resources of endemic areas, but accords with accepted medical practice since only infected individuals are treated. In an attempt to examine this issue quantitatively, the relative risks of mass treatment and morbidity due to helminthiasis are compared. Age- and locality-targeting of mass treatment at populations at high risk of morbidity are proposed as procedures for further enhancing this risk differential. It is suggested that resolving the question of screening versus mass treatment requires more quantitative information than is currently available on the risk of side effects with treatment and the risk of morbidity with variable intensities of infection.

Humans↗
PubMed1986

Control of strongylosis in horses by alternate grazing of horses and sheep and some other aspects of the epidemiology of Strongylidae infections.

Alternate grazing of horses and sheep as a control measure for gastrointestinal helminthiasis was studied in three grazing experiments in 1981, 1982 and 1983. Each year a group of three mare yearling Shetland ponies, which were kept on a small pasture from spring to autumn, were compared with a similar group which grazed a similar or the same pasture until July and were subsequently removed to a similar pasture which had been grazed by sheep from April to July. In addition both groups were treated with an anthelmintic when the latter group was removed to the sheep pasture. Pasture larval counts and worm counts and, in 1982 and 1983, faecal egg counts, clinical condition, total protein, albumin and beta-globulin levels demonstrated that the groups removed to sheep pasture acquired considerably lower burdens of nematodes of the subfamilies Cyathostominae and Strongylinae, but considerably higher burdens of Trichostrongylus axei than the groups which were not moved. These T. axei infections resulted in higher serum pepsinogen levels in the former groups compared to the latter in 1981 and 1982. At necropsy an important part of the T. axei burdens and, in 1982 and 1983, the Cyathostominae burdens consisted of inhibited early third stage larvae. A total of 20 species of the subfamily Cyathostominae and 7 species of the Strongylinae were found. Generally the composition of species was in agreement with other observations in western Europe, the most common species being: Cylicostephanus longibursatus, Cylicostephanus minutus, Cylicostephanus calicatus, Cylicostephanus goldi, Cylicostephanus poculatus, Cyathostomum labratum, Cyathostomum coronatum, Cyathostomum catinatum, Cylicocyclus leptostomus, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicocyclus insigne, Strongylus edentatus and Strongylus vulgaris.

Albendazole↗
PubMed1986

Resistance of Trichostrongylus colubriformis to levamisole and morantel: differences in relation to selection history.

Two field strains of Trichostrongylus colubriformis were tested by in vitro and in vivo methods for resistance to morantel, levamisole and thiabendazole and compared with an anthelmintic-naive laboratory-passaged strain (McM). One field strain (TAS) was isolated from a dairy goat herd which had experienced severe helminthiasis despite intensive anthelmintic usage. The other (BCK) was isolated from sheep which had been treated solely with levamisole over a 6-year period. The BCK strain had very high levels of both levamisole and morantel resistance. In contrast the TAS strain was resistant to morantel but highly susceptible to levamisole. This finding is contrary to the expectation that selection with morantel automatically confers resistance to levamisole, the converse of which was shown to apply in the BCK strain. Although the TAS strain was exposed to levamisole prior to isolation, examination of the drug's pharmacokinetics in goats indicated that it exerted little if any anthelmintic effect, and therefore selection pressure, on the parasite population. This study suggests that the mechanism of levamisole resistance covers a wide spectrum, and embraces that for morantel. It also suggests that in order to conserve the effectiveness of the levamisole/morantel group of broad spectrum anthelmintics, morantel should be used to the exclusion of levamisole until resistance is detected, at which time levamisole may be introduced to re-establish high levels of control.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Opisthorchiasis control in Thailand.

History of opisthorchiasis control started in 1950 as a small scale helminthiasis control program in some high risk areas. Following a number of studies and trial projects of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, the national liver fluke control program has been developed and operated under several National Public Health Development Plans. Presently, the program is being operated in some provinces of the Central, and all provinces of the Northeast and North of Thailand. The main strategies for liver fluke control comprise of three interrelated approaches, namely stool examinations and treatment of positive cases with praziquantel for eliminating human host reservoir; health education for a promotion of cooked fish consumption to prevent infection, and the improvement of hygienic defecation for the interruption of disease transmission. Between 1984 and 1987, the positive rate of liver fluke infection was 63.6%. In 1988, the positive rate went down to 35.6%. Following the region wide control program started in 1989, the annual positive rates had subsequently decreased to 9.4% in the year 2001. The prevalence rate was remarkably high in the North and moderately high in the Northeast, while the prevalence in the Central region was considerably low and there was no evidence of disease transmission in the South.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Medical problems in the returning expatriate.

Expatriates are at risk for a number of infectious diseases for which short-term travelers generally are not at risk. Returning expatriates should undergo a detailed physical examination and a basic set of laboratory tests; these tests should be tailored to their specific history and exposures. Febrile patients with an appropriate exposure history must be evaluated for malaria; other potential diagnoses may be determined by incubation period, geographic exposure, and associated symptoms. When evaluating an ill returned expatriate with fever, it is important to exclude malaria, typhoid, leishmaniasis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, HIV infection, and syphilis. Gastrointestinal irregularities in expatriates may be caused by a number of infectious and noninfectious causes, including intestinal helminthiasis, strongyloidiasis, schistosomiasis, liver flukes, and amebiasis. Eosinophilia in returned expatriates often is associated with an infectious process and should be evaluated. Many infections associated with long-term overseas deployment may include dermatologic manifestations, including filariasis and leishmaniasis.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2004

Severe malaria attack is associated with high prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides infection among children in rural Senegal.

In human populations, the concomitance of various parasitic infections can induce modifications of the specific immune response to each pathogen and thus induce changes in their clinical expression. Several studies, however, have produced conflicting results. To study the hypothesis that there is an association between helminthiasis and the occurrence of severe malaria a prospective case-control study was carried out in a rural zone of Senegal where 105 presumptive severe malaria attacks were studied in 2001 and 2002. Following parasitological control the cases were divided into two groups: A (severe malaria) with severe symptoms and parasite density >5000 parasites/microl (n = 64) and B (other causes) with severe symptoms and negative or weak parasite density (n = 41). In group A the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides infection was higher in cases of severe malaria than in controls, odds ratio (OR) = 9.95 (95% CI 3.03-32.69). Similar but not significantly different results were observed between patients in group B and their controls, OR = 2.47 (95% CI 0.95-6.38).

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Impact of mass chemotherapy on the morbidity due to soil-transmitted nematodes.

This review summarises current knowledge of the ill-effects of soil-transmitted helminthiasis and takes a detailed look at studies that have been published over the past decade describing the effect of mass anthelminthic use on the health of endemic communities. Mass chemotherapy appears to give maximal returns in terms of improved health in areas where hookworm is a major problem and albendazole is used regularly, along with iron supplements; in children it improves physical growth and iron stores, and in pregnant women it reduces the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia. In areas where ascariasis is common, the directly attributable benefits of chemotherapy may be minimal, but it can facilitate the entry of other health care programmes in children, because deworming for ascariasis is often much desired and appreciated by the community. In areas with Vitamin A deficiency and endemic ascariasis, Vitamin A supplementation can be combined with deworming: anthelminthics do not impair Vitamin A absorption but the worms may interfere with Vitamin A uptake by reducing fat absorption. Where trichuriasis is a major problem, single dose chemotherapy may take some time to reduce prevalence, but reduction of heavy infections will reduce the incidence of Trichuris Dysentery Syndrome, probably benefit the learning abilities of affected schoolchildren, and may reduce anaemia and stunting. In general, children should be treated as early as possible, and in areas of very high prevalence, thrice-yearly mass chemotherapy probably improves health better than twice-yearly treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Infections associated with pets].

INTRODUCTION: Domestic pets can transmit numerous infections, including bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and viral diseases. This paper reports the epidemiologic, clinical, therapeutic and prophylactic data of these zoonoses. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: The routes of transmission are various. Bites and scratches are the most common health hazards and result in localized infections. Pasteurellosis, various aerobic and anaerobic infections, and cat-scratch disease are predominant. Bites are treated by cleaning the wound, rabies and tetanus prophylaxis, and the appropriate use of antibiotics. Other infections are transmitted through cutaneous, mucous, digestive or respiratory routes, by direct contact with the pets, excreta, or by arthropods. The most common are gastrointestinal (campylobacter, salmonella, yersinia, parasites, etc), dermatologic (dermatophytoses, scabies, cutaneous larva migraines, etc.), respiratory (psittacosis, etc.), and multisystemic (toxoplasmosis, toxocariasis, leishmaniosis). Certain people are at high risk for diverse diseases: small children (toxocariasis, helminthiasis), pregnant women (toxoplasmosis), and immunodeficient patients (cryptosporidiosis, salmonellosis, systemic pasteurellosis). These infectious diseases can be partly prevented by avoiding contact with diseased animals, and by washing the hands following exposure to pets or pet-derived excreta. Specific vaccines for humans and pets, as well as worming pets regularly, form an important part of the prevention. Veterinarians must discourage the keeping of wild or exotic animals as pets. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: National health survey institutions and new communication systems can improve our knowledge about the real epidemiology of pet-transmitted zoonoses.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of Rhazya stricta on the developing rat fetus.

Rhazya stricta is a medicinal plant traditionally used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, inflammation, and helminthiasis. Our objective was to determine if the plant extract has any effect on fetal development in the rat. A lyophilized extract of the plant was administered daily on three consecutive gestation days (GD) covering the period of preimplantation and organogenesis. The fetuses were examined on GD 20. Higher doses (5.0 or 8.0 g/kg) of R. stricta generally caused a reduction in maternal weight gain, compared to controls, whereas the lower doses (0.5 to 2.0 g/kg) did not. Treatment on GD 1, 2, 3, or 7, 8, 9 had no effect on the fetal weight. Treatment on later days GD 8, 9, 10, or 10, 11, 12, or 13, 14, 15 reduced both the number of live fetuses and their weight. Pronounced intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) was observed in groups treated at later stages, particularly in the high dose groups. Extreme resorption characterized R. stricta treatment on GD 10, 11, and 12. Examination of the conceptus 24 h after R. stricta treatment indicated retarded placental development associated with hypovascularity, which possibly contributed to the IUGR and fetal death. The incidence of malformations such as micromelia, adactyly, maxillary-mandibular hypoplasia, protruding tongue, and edema, did not reach statistical significance. Except perhaps for a generalized growth retardation, no skeletal malformations were obvious. These observations are suggestive of potential fetal toxicity of R. stricta if taken during pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Immunodiagnosis of human trichinellosis using excretory-secretory (ES) antigen.

Infective first stage larvae of Trichinella spiralis were recovered from muscles of laboratory infected mice by digesting the muscles with 1% HC1-1% pepsin and collecting the larvae by modified Baerman's method. The larvae were cultivated in a serum-free medium for 18 h. The ES antigen obtained from the culture medium was used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting IgG antibodies to T. spiralis in serum samples collected from three groups of individuals. The individuals of the first group were parasitologically confirmed trichinellosis patients, while those of group 2 were patients with other helminthiasis and group 3 were healthy, parasite-free individuals. The specificity of the assay was 100%. The sensitivity of the test was also 100% when performed on sera of group 1 collected at days 57 and 120 after infection. Sera collected earlier (day 23) and those collected 700 days after infection had negligible reactivity. Thus IgG-ELISA using ES antigen of the L1 was useful not only for diagnosis but also in evaluation of cure. Western blot analysis revealed that specific antigens of T. spiralis were 94, 67, 63, and 39 kilodalton components.

Adult↗