ABSTRACT
Introduction: Yellow fever is a threatening vector borne illnessthat is endemic in many African and South American countries.Indian visitors to these countries have to get themselvesinoculated with Yellow Fever vaccine.Methods: We studied the knowledge level and awareness andpurpose of travel and some other details in clients opting forthis vaccine in our centre by simple questionnaire.Results: Most of clients were going out for travelling, weregraduate and knew about the disease and the correct vector ofthe disease. However, they did not know correctly the countriesor continents where this vaccine is required before travel.Conclusion: This is an important observation havingepidemiological and public health implications and morestudies are required in this aspect.
ABSTRACT
Background: Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic infection of man, and reactivation of latent disease in HIV-infected patients can cause fatal encephalitis. Diagnosis depends on demonstration of parasite-specific antibodies in serum. In HIV-infected patients, IgM is often undetectable, whereas IgG remains detectable in the majority. Urine sample is very easily available and has not been evaluated for immunodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis. Aim: The study was an effort to find whether urine sample can be used in place of serum for immunodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis. Materials and Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out in serum and urine samples collected from 100 HIV-infected patients to detect anti-toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies and whether positivity correlated with the CD4 T-cell counts of patients. Results: In this study, we observed that there was no significant difference in positivity of anti-toxoplasma IgM and IgG between serum and urine samples of HIV-infected patients by ELISA. There was a negative correlation between CD4 count and seropositivity. Conclusion: Urine sample can be satisfactorily used in place of serum for immunodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis.