Prevalence Of Geohelminths Research Articles

English

This study assessed the actual prevalence of geohelminths and the impact of albendazole on parasitic indices in Kotto Barombi and Marumba II. Stools samples were collected from 420 school children and examined using the Kato-katz faecal technique. Participants were treated with 600 mg of albendazole. Baseline prevalence of infections and mean parasite loads were 26.4% and 6226.9e/g (Ascaris lumbricoides), 31.0% and 252.4 e/g (Trichuris trichiura), and 1.4% and 468.0e/g (Necator americanus). Four children (0.9%) were infected with Strongyloides stercoralis. A significant difference of prevalence was observed between the two villages for A. lumbricoides (P = 0.0001) andT. trichiura (P = 0.0005), and parasite loads for T. trichiura (P = 0.0001). Single infection (T. trichiura or A. lumbricoides) and double infection (A. lumbricoides - T. trichiura) were more prevalent. Post treatment control showed a decrease of prevalence and mean parasite load to 24.4% and 2969.5e/g (A. lumbricoides), and 24.0% and 112.8e/g (T. trichiura), and 0.0% for N. americanus and S. stercoralis. Efficacy and egg reduction rates were 84.6% and 55.3% (T. trichiura), 82.0% and 52.2% (A. lumbricoides), and 100.0% for N. americanus and S. stercoralis. These results suggest that geohelminths infections remain a serious health problem in school children in Kotto Barombi focus. Key words: School children, geohelminth, prevalence, parasite load, albendazole, drug efficacy, Kotto Barombi, Marumba II, Cameroon

Treatment response to standard of care for severe anemia in pregnant women and effect of multivitamins and enhanced anthelminthics

Background: Severe anemia (hemoglobin <70 g/L) in pregnancy may increase the risk of maternal and perinatal mortality.Objectives: We assessed response to standard treatment with high-dose iron–folic acid for 90 d and single-dose (500 mg) mebendazole among severely anemic pregnant women in periurban Karachi, Pakistan. In addition, we evaluated the efficacy of 2 enhanced treatment regimens.Design: We screened pregnant women (n = 6288) for severe anemia and provided them all with the standard treatment. To test the efficacy of 2 additional treatments, women were randomly assigned to standard treatment alone (control) or with 100 mg mebendazole twice daily for 3 d or 90 d of daily multivitamins or both using a 2 × 2 factorial design.Results: Prevalence of severe anemia was high (10.5%) during pregnancy. Prevalence of geohelminths and malaria was low. Treatment response was defined as hemoglobin >100 g/L at the 90-d or ≥25 g/L at the 60-d follow-up visit. The standard-of-care treatment resulted in a response rate of 49% at follow-up, although an adherence of ≥85% elicited a higher response (67%). The effect of the additional treatments was weak. Although response was higher in the enhanced groups than for the standard treatment at the final assessment, the differences were not statistically significant. However, hemoglobin concentration increased significantly in all groups and was higher in the enhanced mebendazole group compared with the standard group (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Iron deficiency was high in this population, and the standard-of-care treatment resulted in a treatment response of 50%, although better treatment adherence showed a higher response. Multivitamins and the enhanced mebendazole regimen had a modest benefit over and above the standard treatment.

Chronic parasite infections cause immune changes that could affect successful vaccination

Several important issues must be considered when performing any vaccination in areas with high prevalence of geohelminths. Immunization of populations infected with geohelminths could be sub-optimal if the immune background is not taken into consideration. Immune modulation and deworming might be essential for effective protective vaccination. In addition, further animal models and clinical studies addressing these issues are required. Underscoring the importance of these issues, a recent report has highlighted several vaccination studies in which nematode-infected mice or pigs failed to mount efficient protective immune responses.

The Relative Influence of Polyparasitism, Environment, and Host Factors on Schistosome Infection

Where prevalence of geohelminths and schistosomes is high, co-infections with multiple parasite species are common. Previous studies have shown that the presence of geohelminths either promotes or is a marker for greater prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infections. Some of this apparent synergy may simply represent shared conditions for exposure, such as poor sanitation, and may not suggest a direct biologic interaction. We explored this question in a study of 13,279 school children in Jequié, Bahia, Brazil, with a survey of demographic characteristics and stool examinations. Cross-sectional analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in the prevalence and intensity of S. mansoni infection with increasing numbers of geohelminth species (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.38-3.64). Less than 20% of the strength of this association was contributed by socioeconomic status or environmental conditions. Thus, polyparasitism itself, as well as intrinsic host factors, appears to produce greater susceptibility to additional helminth infections.

Prevalence of geohelminths in savana and forest areas of Cote d'Ivore

Côte d'Ivoire has large regional variation in intestinal helminth prevalence. In a large cross-sectional study conducted from 1997 to 1999, stool samples from 6952 children aged 4-15 years were examined for helminth eggs by the Kato/ Katz technique from 24 villages in the savanna (North) and from 21 villages in the forest (West) in Côte d'Ivoire. Ascariasis lumbricoides (0.7%) was the only species present in the savana area. In the forest area, ascariasis occurred most frequently (18.9%), followed by trichuriasis (2%), Strongyloidiasis (0.1%) and oxyuriasis (0.03%). Ascariasis prevalence was not significantly associated with age within each ecological zone, but was significantly higher in boys in the forest zone. This study confirms that in the more arid savanna, the conditions are less suitable for helminth transmission than in the forest zone.

Parasitosis intestinales en población inmigrante subsahariana asintomática. Gran Canaria 2000

A prospective study has been conducted in order to known the prevalence and the type of intestinal parasitoses in a cohort of healthy Subsaharian immigrants that reached Gran Canaria along the year 2000. 348 fecal samples of 121 immigrants have been studied. In each patient a minimum of two samples and a maximum of three samples was studied. Each sample was evaluated through two techniques: visualization of a direct preparation dyed with Lugol and through the technique of concentration of Kato. 23.1% of the patients presented pathogenic parasites in feces, being observed 2 parasites in 5 of the patients (17.8%). The geohelminths (Ancylostoma duodenale/Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Strongyloides stercolaris) were the parasites more frequently found (87.9%). Specifically, the parasitosis found in the greatest number of participants was hookworm disease (44.8%). In this study the effectiveness of the evaluation of three feces samples is demonstrated in order to increase the percentage of diagnosed intestinal parasitoses. The visualization of a direct preparation dyed with Lugol permitted the diagnosis of 63.6% of the parasitoses, while the technique of Kato detected 56.6% of the helminth infections. The prevalence of geohelminths in the asymptomatic Subsaharian immigrant population is elevated. The complementary use of the microscopic study of a direct preparation dyed with Lugol and the technique of Kato increase the diagnostic performance.