Imported malaria to Makkah district, Saudi Arabia: is there any risk of local transmission?

In Makkah, Saudi Arabia, there is an impending risk of imported malaria. This risk comes from the fact that millions of people, in majority from tropical and subtropical countries where malaria is endemic, visit the country to perform Hajj and Umrah every year. Moreover, millions of expatriates from endemic countries come to Makkah for work. Likewise, many Saudi citizens travel to endemic areas overseas for business and pleasure. We performed a retrospective analysis of all reported malaria cases in Makkah region, Saudi Arabia for years 2014 and 2015. In addition, sorting of mosquito populations in Makkah region was undertaken. Based on national data regarding reported malaria cases, 235 malaria cases were recorded in years 2014 and 2015. Of the reported cases 232 were non-Saudi and only 3 cases were Saudi. Those recorded Saudi cases were just returning from a travel to an endemic area. Most of the cases [79.6%] were P. falciprum and the remaining was P. vivax. Infected male represent 62% and female represent 38%. Age of the majority of reported cases [71.5%] lie between 31 and 50 years. Most of reported cases were from Chad, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sudan. Sorting of mosquito populations revealed the absence of malaria vectors in Makkah District

Past and present situation of human fascioliasis in Dakahlia governorate, Egypt

Zoonotic fascioliasis is a problem not only in Dakahlia Governorate, but also in other Egyptian Governorates. This work was conducted in ten centers at Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. Three thousand cases were randomly selected annually from each center representing five rural and five urban areas. Cases were examined for Fasciola infection by stool examination using, direct smear, formol ether sedimentation and Kato-Katz technique. Infection was higher in rural areas than urban areas. Female /male ratio was 1.5: 1. Children between five and ten years old represent the highest infected group. The prevalence of infection was more among illiterate compared to educated individuals examined. Remarkable reduction in the prevalence rate was recorded in the last year of study compared to previous years, which is a good index of excellent control measures conducted by the Egyptian governorate to overcome parasitic infections

Detection of specific secretory IGA in saliva and stool of patients for diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection

A total of thirty enzyme-linked immunosorbent [ELISA] assays detecting serum and secretory immunoglobulins against Schistosoma mansoni cercarial antigen preparation [CAP], soluble egg antigen [SEA], and adult worm antigen [AWA] were evaluated for diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infections. For each antigen, serum IgM, IgG, IgA, IgE, IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4 and secretory IgA in unstimulated saliva, stimulated saliva arid stool were quantitatively determined in samples from 116 Schistosoma mansoni infected subjects and 50 normal controls. Cut off values and evaluation parameters were calculated from receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve. With serum samples, CAP-IgG, CAP-IgG1, SEA-IgG, SEA-IgG1, AWA-IgG1 and AWA-IgG4 were the best assays showing sensitivities of 94.8, 91.4, 95.7, 94.8, 91.4, and 94.8%, respectively, and specificities of 100, 92, 96, 100, 92, and 100%, respectively. With secretory IgA, stimulated saliva SEA and AWA-IgA, and stool SEA-IgA showed the best results with sensitivities of 85.4, 93.1, and 89.7%, respectively, and specificities of 100, 92, and 96%, respectively. In conclusion, different antibody classes determined showed high sensitivities and specificities in diagnosis of active schistosomiasis. Secretory IgA against Schistosoma mansoni antigens showed promising sensitivities and specificities, which make it a helpful tool in diagnosis of active schistosomiasis in the future, as it is an easy non invasive technique, which may help in epidemiological studies