Prevention Of Parasitic Diseases Research Articles

What was the main factor in successful control of ascariasis in Korea?

In the l950s, under the legacy of traditional agriculture, Ascaris lumbricoides, spread epidemically in the war-bitten society of Korea. Consensus on the parasite control was drafted in the Parasite Disease Prevention Act, which passed a parliamentary agreement in 1966, and established safe disposal of feces and mass chemotherapy as control strategies. Biannual stool examinations and treating infected schoolchildren were basic scheme of the control activity through which revenue could be secured for organized business. In the 27 years following 1969, a maximum of 16 million stool examinations had been done every year. Cellophane thick smear enabled the task. The infection declined remarkably in the 1970s when industrialization and green revolution proceeded. A population study of A. lumbricoides in the late 1970s helped us better understand its epidemiology. The data also settled down the understandable protest of teachers against the repeated stool examinations. In the 9 years following 1987, the target population was gradually reduced when the egg positive rate was below 0.1%. An article in the Korean Law, stipulating obligatory stool examinations, was made optional. Although the long-term Korean effort of Ascaris control was a success, the effect of mass chemotherapy was not as succinct in terms of lowering reinfection. In the period of control, Korean agricultural technology changed, and the economy grew and supplied sanitary facilities by which the vicious cycle was disconnected. Reduction of morbidity was a benefit of mass chemotherapy, which is the only control method feasible in economically difficult countries. The most important hurdle of parasite control in the 1960s was poverty of general population and limited financial resources in Korea but the society formed a consensus on the priority of intestinal helminthiasis control during the ordeal period. The national consensus in the 1960s was the critical milestone for Ascaris control in Korea. Under the social agreement, application of timely technical and research advancements in parasitology achieved the success of ascariasis elimination. The successful experience of ascariasis elimination in Korea can be a benchmark for countries where neglected tropical diseases are endemically recycled.

The prevalence of soil transmitted helminths and its influential factors in Shandong Province, China: an analysis of surveillance data from 2016 to 2020

BackgroundSoil-transmitted helminths (STHs) were previously endemic in Shandong Province, China. This study aimed to analyze the STHs prevalence trend and the natural, social, and human cognitive and behavioural factors influencing the discrepancies between high and low infection levels from 2016 to 2020 in Shandong Province in eastern China.MethodsSTHs surveillance data of Shandong Province from 2016 to 2020 were obtained from China Information Management System for Prevention and Control of Parasitic Diseases. STHs infections were detected by modified Kato–Katz method. Comprehensive information on the natural and social factors, STHs-related knowledge and behaviours were collected through questionnaire surveys. Retrospective spatial scan analysis was performed using SaTScan v10.1 to evaluate any identified spatial clusters of STHs infection for statistical significance and Bayes discriminant analysis was used to discriminate the high or low infection groups of the villages.ResultsIn total, 72,160 participants were involved in our survey from 2016 to 2020. The overall STHs prevalence rate was 1.13%, with the eastern region of Shandong Province having the highest rate (2.02%). The predominant species was T. trichiura, with the prevalence rate of 0.99% and the ≥ 70-year age group possessed the highest rate of 2.21%. The STHs prevalence rate showed an annual linear downward trend from 2016 to 2020 (chi_{{{text{trend}}}}^{2} = 127.600, P < 0.001). Respondents aged ≥ 60 years had the lowest awareness level of STHs-related prevention knowledge (all P < 0.05), and were the most likely to adopt the practice of fertilizing with fresh stool (χ2 = 28.354, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the southern region demonstrated the highest temperature and rainfall level and the lowest GNP and annual net income per capita (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsThere is a remarkable declining in STHs prevalence in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2020. However, the prevalence rates of STHs especially T. trichiura in the southern and eastern regions were still high, and the elderly were more susceptible to be infected with STHs owning to their low awareness level of STHS-related prevention knowledge and high adoption rate of dangerous production and living behaviours. Integrated approaches of health education, environment improvement and behaviour change should be strengthened to obtain a further reduction of STHs prevalence in China.

GRA-GCN: dense granule protein prediction in Apicomplexa protozoa through graph convolutional network.

Dense granule proteins (GRAs) are secreted by Apicomplexa protozoa, which are closely related to an extensive variety of farm animal diseases. Predicting GRAs is an integral part in prevention and treatment of parasitic diseases. Considering that biological experiment approach is time-consuming and labor-intensive, computational method is a superior choice. Hence, developing an effective computational method for GRAs prediction is of urgency. In this paper, we present a novel computational method named GRA-GCN through graph convolutional network. In terms of the graph theory, the GRAs prediction can be regarded as a node classification task. GRA-GCN leverages k-nearest neighbor algorithm to construct the feature graph for aggregating more informative representation. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to utilize computational approach for GRAs prediction. Evaluated by 5-fold cross-validations, the GRA-GCN method achieves satisfactory performance, and is superior to four classic machine learning-based methods and three state-of-the-art models. The analysis of the comprehensive experiment results and a case study could offer valuable information for understanding complex mechanisms, and would contribute to accurate prediction of GRAs. Moreover, we also implement a web server at http://dgpd.tlds.cc/GRAGCN/index/, for facilitating the process of using our model.

Temporal trends in disease burden of major human parasitic diseases in China from 1990 to 2019

To analysize the temporal trends in the disease burden of major human parasitic diseases in China from 1990 to 2019, so as to provide the evidence for improving the parasitic disease control strategy in China. The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of malaria, intestinal nematode infections, schistosomiasis, food-borne trematodiases, cysticercosis and echinococcosis in China from 1990 to 2019 were captured from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019), and age- and gender-specific DALYs of parasitic diseases were estimated. The temporal trends in DALYs of malaria, intestinal nematode infections, schistosomiasis, food-borne trematodiases, cysticercosis and echinococcosis were evaluated in China from 1990 to 2019 using average annual percent change (AAPC) with Joinpoint regression analysis. The DALYs were 643 836.42 person-years due to food-borne trematodiases, 156 853.03 person-years due to cysticercosis, 79 764.62 person-years due to schistosomiasis, 70 989.73 person-years due to intestinal nematode infections, 4 258.61 person-years due to echinococcosis and 264.86 person-years due to malaria in China in 2019, respectively. The overall DALYs of six parasitic diseases were higher among men (546 441.93 person-years) than among women (409 525.33 person-years), and were greater among adults at ages of 14 to 65 years (684 780.84 person-years) than among children at 14 years and lower (35 437.38 person-years) and the elderly at ages of 65 years and older (235 749.04 person-years). During the period from 1990 to 2019, food-borne trematodiases were the leading cause of DALYs among the six parasitic diseases, and cysticercosis shifted from the fourth leading cause in 1990 to the second leading cause of DALYs in China in 2019, while intestinal nematode infections shifted from the second leading cause in 1990 to the fourth leading cause of DALYs in 2019. The DALYs of major human parasitic diseases appeared an overall tendency towards a decline in China from 1990 to 2019, with the fastest drop seen in DALYs due to malaria (AAPC = -19.6%, P = 0.003), followed by due to intestinal nematode infections (AAPC = -8.2%, P < 0.001) and schistosomiasis (AAPC = -3.1%, P < 0.001), and a slow decline was seen in the DALYs of food-borne trematodiases (AAPC = -1.0%, P < 0.001), while there were no significant decrease in the DALYs of echinococcosis (AAPC = -0.5%, P = 0.264) and the DALYs of cysticercosis appeared a tendency towards a rise (AAPC = 0.7%, P < 0.001). The disease burden of major human parasitic diseases appeared an overall tendency towards a decline in China from 1990 to 2019, with a high disease burden seen due to food-borne parasitic diseases, no remarkable reduction seen in echinococcosis, and a tendency towards a rise seen in cysticercosis. It is recommended to focus on echinococcosis control, and continue to consolidate the control achievements of other major human parasitic diseases in China; meanwhile, the surveillance and prevention of food-borne parasitic diseases should be reinforced.

Construction of a human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases based on Delphi method

To construct a human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases based on Delphi method. Based on literature reviews and expert interviews, a questionnaire was designed and a two-round Delphi consultation was performed. A human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases was constructed according to the deletion criteria and experts' advice. A total of 14 experts completed the two-round consultation. The second-round authority coefficients were 0.91 to 0.96 for the first-level indicators, 0.87 to 0.97 for the second-level indicators and 0.86 to 0.97 for the third-level indicators. A human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases was constructed with the main framework of basic knowledge and awareness, healthy behaviors, and healthy skills, which contained 3 first-level indicators, 12 second-level indicators and 48 third-level indicators. Among the three first-level indicators, basic knowledge and awareness had the highest weighting coefficient (0.336 5), followed by healthy behaviors (0.334 9), and healthy skills had the lowest weighting coefficient (0.328 6). The three secondary-level indicators with the highest combined weights included awareness of the epidemic status (0.088 2), awareness of the resource of infection (0.085 8) and basic awareness of parasitic diseases (0.085 5). A human health literacy indicator system for prevention of parasitic diseases is preliminarily constructed, which provides insights into the development of health literacy evaluation tools for prevention of parasitic diseases in the new era.

Parasitic diseases prevention in herd horses in Yakutia

The purpose of the research is to study the spread of parasitic diseases that cause pathologies in horses and to evaluate the effectiveness of deworming with a feed and drug mixture that contains an effective anthelmintic and mineral supplement.Materials and methods. Seasonal and age helminth infection dynamics in young horses was studied by coproovoscopic and larvoscopic examinations monthly. A total of 50 foals were studied, namely, 20 foals aged under one year, 15 foals aged up to two years, and 15 foals aged up to three years. Infection prevalence and intensity in the horses was determined by the complete helminthological dissection of the gastrointestinal tract per K. I. Skrjabin. The detected helminths were fixed in 70% alcohol.Results and discussion. The most common Strongylata species were Alfortia edentatus, Delafondia vulgaris, Strongylus equinus and numerous species of Trichonematidae. The studied foals were showed the maximum prevalence of the S. equinus infection of 80% in November, and the minimum, 35.7% in August; the A. edentatus infection was 78.6 % in January, and 46.6% in November, respectively. The D. vulgaris infection peak of up to 86.6% was recorded in November-December, and the minimum, up to 66.6% in March. The foals were infected with Trichonematidae throughout the year.

СКРИНИНГОВЫЙ КОНТРОЛЬ ТОКСИКАНТОВ В РЫБНОЙ ПРОДУКЦИИ МЕТОДОМ ИММУНОМИКРОЧИПОВОЙ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ

Much attention is paid to the development of fisheries in our country both at the federal and regional levels, since this industry provides the most of the food component. In the “Strategy for the development of the fishery complex of the Russian Federation for the period until 2030” much attention is paid to the quality and safety of fish products, and, in particular, to modern methods of laboratory indication of residual quantities of various toxicants of natural and artificial origin that have a negative impact on human and animal health. The increase in the volume of animal products is based on the intensification of production, the introduction of modern technologies, improving the feed supply, as well as the use of a large number of drugs for the treatment and prevention of bacterial and parasitic diseases. The needs of the modern market are reduced to the need to develop and harmonize methods that allow quantitative and qualitative determination of residual amounts of drugs used in veterinary medicine and, in particular, in fish farming. In the process of research, we obtained experimental data that showed the promise of a method based on nanobiotechnology for identifying residual amounts of antimicrobial and anthelmintic substances in fish products.

Omics: Applications related to diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of parasitic diseases. Part II. Helminths

Omics: Applications related to diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of parasitic diseases. Part II. Helminths

Infestation with metacercarial stage of Isoparorchis hypselobagri (Billet, 1898) in cage cultured Ompok bimaculatus vis-a-vis host and environmental interaction in a large tropical reservoir

The present study reports the occurrence of metacercariae of Isoparorchis hypselobagri in a food fish Ompok bimaculatus cultured in cages at Maithon reservoir, India. The metacercarial parasite was initially identified morphologically. Molecular identification through partial amplification of 18S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene and sequencing further confirmed the parasite species. The patterns of infection in terms of intensity, mean intensity, and prevalence of metacercariae in O. bimaculatus was recorded. Influence of host size, season and water quality on infection rate was tested through Generalized linear model (GLM). The prevalence varied from 42.2% to 88.8% and intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 10. PCA analysis showed that the metacercarial parasite was mostly located near the air bladder, around kidney and near kidney of the host. GLM results showed that the size of the fish influenced the intensity of infection. Higher water temperature reduced the parasitic growth whereas dissolved oxygen was positively related with intensity of the parasite infection. The occurrence of the first intermediate host snails indicated that they might be the possible source of cercaria in the cages. This study is the first report of I. hypselobagri infections in inland cage culture from India and has implications for understanding the ecological and taxonomic patterns and pathology in caged fish in tropical reservoirs. The high infestation rate and large size of parasite presents serious threat for production of this high value fish species in cages. The presence of parasites not only affects growth and survival but also leads to reduced consumer acceptance. The control of snail vectors might play a significant role in prevention of parasitic diseases in cage culture system. Hence, before selection of candidate fish species and site for cage culture, management of such parasitic disease should be duly considered. This will not only prevent economic losses due to parasitic diseases but also ensure consumer safety.

Application of integrated species distribution models in parasitic diseases prevention and control: a review

Species distribution model, a mathematical model theoretically based on the temporal and spatial locations of species in the ecosystem and their associations with other species, is useful to display the current species distribution and predict the future species distribution, which has been widely applied in ecology, biogeography and spatial transmission of infectious diseases. Integrated species distribution model is a comprehensive, summative and reliable combination model that simultaneously uses multiple species distribution models or integrates multiple data sources for modeling. This review describes the theory and classification of species distribution models, and summarizes the creation and verification of integrated species distribution models and their applications in parasitic disease prevention and control. During the practical applications of integrated species distribution models, the study scale, niche matching, big data utilization, combination of multidisciplinary methods and knowledge background and ecological implications should be emphasized.

An epidemiological analysis of imported malaria in Shanghai during a COVID-19 outbreak

BackgroundThe goal of this study was to understand the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Shanghai specifically during the epidemic period of novel corona-virus pneumonia (COVID-19), to provide a reference for preventing the transmission of imported malaria after this disease had been previously eliminated.MethodsThe data of malaria cases reported in Shanghai from 2020 to 2021 were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention (CISDCP) and the Information System for Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention (ISPDCP). The characteristics of demographic and epidemiological distribution, travel-related information, diagnosis information, regions of infection acquisition and disposal information of epidemic situation were analysed with descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 112 cases of malaria were reported in Shanghai from January 2020 to December 2021. There were 18 cases and 94 cases in 2020 and 2021, respectively, reaching the lowest and highest levels in the past 10 years. The incidence of malaria associated with seasons had an increasing trend (χ2 = 81.143, P < 0.05). These cases included Plasmodium falciparum (97, 86.61%), Plasmodium vivax (4, 3.57%), Plasmodium ovale (8, 7.14%) and Plasmodium malariae (3, 2.68%). The median age of patients with malaria was 38.0 years, the majority of these individuals were males (109, 97.32%), and most of them were labour personnel (93, 83.04%). Of the reported cases, 8 of these individuals (7.14%) reported experiencing malaria symptoms before their arrival in China after their stay overseas; 97 of these individuals (86.61%) reported experiencing symptoms within 14 days after their initial arrival from overseas; 15 of these individuals (13.39%) were diagnosed with ‘severe malaria’; and 4 of these individuals (3.57%) were also diagnosed with COVID-19. All cases were imported from Africa, and there were no indigenous cases and deaths.ConclusionDue to the impact of COVID-19, the number of imported malaria cases in Shanghai had greatly increased; however, prevention and control measures for imported malaria could be implemented to prevent re-transmission of this condition. Considering that the number of individuals returning from overseas labour is likely to increase in the next few years, it is necessary to strengthen the surveillance of imported malaria and to review the protocol for potential epidemic situations. Together, these measures could support the maintation of free-malaria status in Shanghai.

Incidence of hemoparasitic infections in cattle from central and northern Thailand.

BackgroundHemoparasites, such as Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Anaplasma spp., can negatively affect the health of farm animals resulting in significant losses in production. These losses inherently affect the economics of the livestock industry. Since increases in the severity of vector-borne diseases in the southeast Asian region have been reported, investigations of parasitic epidemiology in Thailand will be necessary to improve the existing parasite control strategies for blood parasitic infections. This study aims to investigate incidences of bovine hemoparasites throughout central and northern Thailand by focusing on areas of high-density cattle populations.MethodsBlood parasitic infections among cattle were screened and identified by microscopic examination. Anemia status was then determined by evaluation of the packed cell volume (PCV) of each animal. Furthermore, blood parasites were detected and identified by genus and species-specific primers through the polymerase chain reaction method. Amplicons were subjected to DNA sequencing; thereafter, phylogenetic trees were constructed to determine the genetic diversity and relationships of the parasite in each area.ResultsA total of 1,066 blood samples were found to be positive for blood parasitic infections as follows: 13 (1.22%), 389 (36.50%), and 364 (34.15%) for Babesia bovis, Theileria orientalis, and Anaplasma marginale, respectively. Furthermore, multiple hemoparasitic infections in the cattle were detected. The hematocrit results revealed 161 hemoparasitic infected samples from 965 blood samples, all of which exhibiting indications of anemia with no significant differences. Sequence analysis of the identified isolates in this study revealed that B. bovis rap-1, four separate clades of T. orientalis msps, and A. marginale msp4 exhibited considerable sequence similarity to homologous sequences from isolates obtained from other countries. Sequence similarity ranged between 98.57–100%, 83.96–100%, and 97.60–100% for B. bovis rap-1, T. orientalis msps, and A. marginale msp4, respectively.ConclusionIn this study, the analyzed incidence data of cattle hemoparasitic infection in Thailand has provided valuable and basic information for the adaptation of blood-borne parasitic infections control strategies. Moreover, the data obtained from this study would be useful for future effective parasitic disease prevention and surveillance among cattle.

The effects of CuSO4 on Cryptocaryon irritans tomonts and its potential mechanism

Cryptocaryon irritans infection could cause huge economic losses to the marine fish industry. Due to the lack of targeted anti-parasitic drugs, CuSO4 is widely used in the prevention and control of parasitic diseases in aquaculture. C. irritans tomonts are “cyst like, reproductive stage” of the parasites life cycle that is highly resistant to different compounds and drugs. In this study, we explored the effects of CuSO4 on the C. irritans tomonts, incubation rate, morphological difference and transcriptome changes. The results showed that the tomonts treated with CuSO4 had a thicker cyst wall than the control group. Ultrastructural analysis of C. irritans tomonts exhibited less encapsulated content after CuSO4 treatment, while tomonts organelle was abundant in the control group. The hatching rate of tomonts treated with CuSO4 (10 mg/L) was lower (25.92–40.73%) than that of tomonts without treatment with chemical drugs (80.77–95.45%). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis revealed that 223 DEGs including 160 DEGs up-regulated and 63 DEGs down-regulated genes were identified. In GO analysis, relatively more upregulated DEGs were annotated into growth, reproduction and reproductive process, while down-regulated DEGs were mainly annotated into biological adhesion, immune system process, and supramolecular complex. In the KEGG enrichment analysis, Taste transduction (ko04742), Circadian entrainment (ko04713), Vascular smooth muscle contraction (ko04270) and Platelet activation (ko04611) were the top 4 pathways with the highest degree of enrichment. In addition, IP3R, AC, PKG, MLCP and MPase genes involved in regulating calcium flow play an important role in these pathways. Taken together, our results indicate that CuSO4 may affect the C. irritans tomonts by influencing the calcium flow.

Knowledge, perceptions, and practices of deworming and parasitic disease control activities among peri-urban livestock keepers in Barishal district, Bangladesh

Background: Bangladeshi farmers are not getting optimum outcomes from livestock farming due to various obstacles in farming, including a lack of modern technological and scientific knowledge. Therefore, this research was aimed at comprehending the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of deworming and parasitic disease control activities among peri-urban livestock farmers in the Barishal district of Bangladesh. Methods: Data on the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of deworming and parasitic disease control activities of 207 peri-urban livestock farmers were collected randomly from different areas of the Barishal district. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered via a face-to-face interview between June 2020 and December 2020 to collect data. The frequencies were expressed in percentage (%) and the association between farmer’s education and knowledge of parasitic disease prevention, control, and deworming activities were evaluated by crosstab analysis in IBM SPSS software (version 25). Results: The study revealed that 27.5% of the farmers provided impure water to their animals. Almost 100.0% of farmers were found to wash their hands before and after contacting the animals. About 29.0% of farmers were not accustomed to cleaning the farms and excreta regularly. Only 18.8% of respondents permitted their animals to co-graze with other animals. Approximately 45% of participants used anthelmintics regularly, and 32.4% of participants were informed of the scheduled deworming practices for their animals. Surprisingly, 96.6% of respondents never participated in deworming and parasitic disease control training programs. However, 100% of farmers agreed that parasitic disease control is essential for profitable farming and increasing production. Conclusion: A large proportion of farmers rear their livestock without deworming practices, and they are not aware of helminthiasis control and prevention. Therefore, intensive extension work is needed to educate them on helminthiasis and deworming activities.

THE USE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES AGAINST PARASITIC DISEASES OF ANIMALS

Today, the chemical method is one of the main methods for the prevention and treatment of animal against parasites. Chemical preparations and means for the treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases have a number of negative consequences for the host organism. For example, this is an intoxication of the body caused by the decay products of dead parasites and the influence of the constituent components of drugs. Chemicals that belong to the 4th hazard class are poisonous to living organisms. Therefore, they reduce the functioning of internal organs. In connection with the foregoing, the search for new methods of protection and treatment of animals from parasitic diseases remains relevant. Every year, the pollution of the planet with various chemicals is increasing. Therefore, we must consider alternative options for parasites control. Physical methods are among such new methods, including the use of electromagnetic waves (EMW). In our article, we analyzed the available Russian and foreign works on the use of electromagnetic waves for the treatment and prevention of invasive and non-invasive animal diseases. These works have shown that the use of EMW for the prevention and treatment of parasitic and non-contagious diseases of animals, as well as for the disinfestation of premises with animals, is an effective physical method.

DETERMINING THE OVICIDAL EFFICACY OF DISINFECTANTS BY USING A MULTIFUNCTIONAL MICROCHAMBER

In the prevention of parasitic diseases, an important place is occupied by the search for new chemical preparations for disinvasion. The selection criterion is often the ovicidal efficacy of drugs against helminth eggs. The study of ovicidal efficacy is a rather laborious process that requires certain skills. In publications devoted to this topic, very little space is given to methodological issues. The traditional methods of testing and selection of drugs for disinfestation, proposed by the guidelines, have not changed much over the years. This article describes a new improved method for determining the ovicidal effectiveness of disinfectants using a multifunctional microchamber. An experimental comparison of the new method with the traditional one was made. For comparison, the most time-consuming stage of the experiment was chosen - the release of eggs from the action of the disinfectant. The advantages of the proposed method are shown. It is simpler, and to perform the same work requires 3 times less actions than the traditional one. The release of eggs from the action of the disinfectant using a multifunctional microchamber occurs 2,5 times faster than using a centrifuge. The execution time of operations is less dependent on the speed of the operator. And the use of a microchamber in setting up experiments reduces the loss of eggs in the process of their release from the action of the disinfectant by almost 30%.

Epidemic status of imported malaria before and after malaria elimination in Jiaozuo City of Henan Province

To analyze and compare the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Jiaozuo City before and after malaria elimination, so as to provide insights into the malaria surveillance during the post-elimination stage and prevention of re-establishment of imported malaria. Data pertaining to the epidemic situation and individual investigation of malaria in Jiaozuo City before (from 2010 to 2016) and after malaria elimination (from 2017 to November, 2020) were captured from the National Notifiable Disease Reporting System and the Information System for Parasitic Diseases Control and Prevention of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and were analyzed statistically. A total of 74 imported malaria cases were reported in Jiaozuo City from 2010 to 2021. Imported cases were predominantly Plasmodium falciparum malaria cases in Jiaozuo City before and after malaria elimination, and there was no significant difference in the proportion of malaria parasite species (χ2 = 0.234, P > 0.05). The imported malaria cases was predominantly reported in Wuzhi County, and was identified in overseas male farmers and businessmen at ages of 20 to 59 years, while the greatest number of imported malaria cases was reported in June and December before and after malaria elimination. The imported malaria cases predominantly acquired malaria parasite infections in sub-Saharan African countries; however, the proportion of imported malaria cases returning from Southeast Asian counties increased after malaria elimination than before malaria elimination (χ2 = 5.989, P < 0.05). The longest duration from onset to definitive diagnosis of malaria reduced from 27 days before malaria elimination to 18 days after malaria elimination, and the median duration reduced from 3 days to 2 days, while the proportion of definitive diagnosis of malaria increased from 60.47% before malaria elimination to 83.87% after malaria elimination (χ2 = 4.724, P < 0.05). In addition, the proportion of malaria cases definitively diagnosed and reported by medical institutions increased after malaria elimination than before malaria elimination (χ2 = 5.406, P < 0.05). The imported malaria patients were predominantly P. falciparum malaria cases in Jiaozuo City during 2010 to 2021, and the patient's medical care-seeking awareness and medical staff's diagnosis and treatment ability have improved after malaria elimination. It is necessary to strengthen and improve malaria surveillance and response system and prevent the re-establishment of overseas imported malaria.

Sağlık Hizmetleri Meslek Yüksekokulu Öğrencilerinin Paraziter Hastalıklar Hakkındaki Bilgi Düzeyleri

In this study, it has been aimed to determine the knowledge level of the students of Van Yuzuncu Yıl University Health Services Vocational School, who will serve as the health personnel of the future, about parasitic diseases, prevention and control measures from these diseases. A total of 587 students, comprising 418 (71.2%) females and 169 (28.8%) males, studying at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Health Services Vocational School, were included in the study. The questions in the questionnaire were arranged in three groups, as those about parasitic diseases, transmission routes of these diseases, and prevention and treatment. Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated within the scope of the reliability analysis of the questionnaire questions. The Cronbach alpha values for the domains of Knowledge Level About Parasitic Diseases, Knowledge Level About the Transmission of Parasitic Diseases, and Knowledge Level About the Prevention and Treatment of Parasitic Diseases were determined as 0.647 (64.7%), 0.707 (70.7%), and 0.566 (56.6%), respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between the departments included in the study in terms of the level of knowledge about parasitic diseases (P &amp;lt; 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the departments in the evaluation made between the level of knowledge about the prevention and treatment of parasitic diseases and the personal characteristics of the students (P &amp;lt; 0.05). As the result, it was observed that the students participating in the study did not have sufficient knowledge about parasitic diseases.

Матеріали Республіканської науково-практичної конференції з міжнародною участю «Сучасні аспекти патогенезу, клініки, діагностики, лікування та профілактики паразитарних захворювань» (28 жовтня 2016 року, м Вітебськ, Республіка Білорусь)

У статті представлені тези Республіканської науково-практичної конференції з міжнародною участю «Сучасні аспекти патогенезу, клініки, діагностики, лікування та профілактики паразитарних захворювань», яка відбулася 28 жовтня 2016 р.у м. Вітебськ (Білорусь).

Role of gene sequencing in the diagnosis, tracking and prevention of parasitic diseases – A brief review

Parasitic infections and its burden are increasing worldwide and there are many unknown areas among the parasites for a long time which makes the eradication of most of the parasites impossible till now. The mechanism of how certain parasites evade human immune response and how they escape from the action of antiparasitic drugs were unclear. It is also difficult to maintain their culture in the laboratory which makes it difficult to identify to the species level most of the time. The field of sequencing has undergone many advances recently. The availability of entire genome sequences has revolutionised the study of infectious organisms, including parasites. It helps us to know the complete nucleotide sequence of even a complex genome at larger number. In the form of pilot genome sequencing studies, genomics approaches have been used to deal with the problem of tropical neglected parasitic illnesses for more than 20 years. In this, new technology like sequencing is coming up in a big way not only in the diagnosis but also targeted therapeutics and its control. Hence, different sequencing methods have been explored briefly in its role in parasitic diseases.