Intestinal parasitic infections among school children in Tripoli, Libya

An epidemiological survey was carried out in Tripoli district to collect baseline data on the prevalence of intestinal parasites. A sample of 486 school children aged from 5 to 14 years old provided morning stool samples as part of a pilot study of a larger national project. Questionnaires were distributed and general information on each child was recorded. Posters and leaflets were used extensively to increase the public health information and awareness about parasitosis. The results revealed that 14.6% of children were infected with at least one intestinal parasite. Double infections were in 2% of them. Giardia lainblia was the common parasite, followed by Enterobius vermicularis and then Ascaris lumbricoides. This was a preliminary approach to clarify the status on intestinal parasites since reliable reportable data being still comparatively lacking, which might be a guide for a feasible national control program

protective activity of serum and fractionated serum from rats against babesia divergens

The rat adapted strain of bovine babesia, B. divergens, was used as a model to investigate the mechanisms of immunity to this parasite. The effect of the humoral factors in the acquired immunity to B. divergens was investigated in splenectomized rats. Antibodies to B. Divergens were detected by indirect fluorescent antibody [IFA] test in sera collected during infection and at different times after recovery. The protective activity of the same serum was tested in vivo by passive transfer and compared with the antibody levels as measured by IFA test. The role of antibody in protection was confirmed after fractionating IgM and IgG from immune and hyperimmune sera. The protective activity of sera collected immediately after recovery was mainly due to IgM antibodies. The protective activity of sera collected at 3-4 days after recovery and of hyperimmune sera was mainly due to IgG antibodies. In hyperimmune serum, IgM antibodies were partially protective

Immunity of babesia divergens in the rat: histology of the infected liver and Its possibil role in removing PRBC'S

The possible removal of B. divergens PREC's by the livers of immune splenectomized rats was investigated. The clearance of Cr51 labeled B. divergens infected erythrocytes was followed in splenectomized rats to test whether Cr51 labeled PREC's are cleared from the circulation of immune rats through the uptake and the phagocytosis by the liver. No significant difference was observed between the clearance radioactivity from the circulation as well as the liver uptake in the immune rats and the controls. The injection of irradiated parasites into the same rats showed that they were able to clear PRBC's from the blood stream and immunity was not specifically directed at merozoites. It was speculated that the parasites inside the red cells are removed by lysis or phagocytosis. Histological studies on livers collected from immune rats showed that lymphocytes are accumulated in the liver; therefore, those consisting of B and T cells leukocytes accumulating in the liver might be very important in the development of acquired immunity to B. divergens in splenectomized rats