Mapping soil-transmitted helminths in Southeast Asia and implications for parasite control.

Establishing the current status and distribution of soil-transmitted helminths is essential for developing and implementing parasite control. Although Southeast Asia is known to have a high prevalence of infection, a precise estimate of the total disease burden has not been fully described. Here, we use Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to collate and map recent published surveys on soil-transmitted helminth epidemiology and distribution for this region. Distinct geographical variation was observed, which is suggested to reflect climatic variation, as well as behavioral differences. However, for much of the region few data are available, and therefore it proved necessary to generate predictions of the distribution of soil-transmitted helminths using remotely sensed (RS) satellite sensor environmental variables. A significant finding was the importance of land surface temperature in influencing the distribution of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura. Spatial analyses using RS satellite sensor data were then used to generate predictive maps of infection risk. This information provided the basis for an estimate of the population at risk of infection and the numbers requiring treatment. These applications of GIS and remote sensing provide a good basis for developing control of soil-transmitted helminths in the region.

Serological studies on schistosomiasis mansoni in the northeast Brazil. I

Soros de pacientes com esquistosomiase mansonica do Hospital das Clinicas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (N = 10), de residentes da cidade do Cabo (PE) - 51 casos ovo-positivo e 452 casos ovo-negativo -, de pacientes do Hospital Instituto Materno Infantil de Pernambuco (IMIP) (N = 37), de imigrantes japoneses residentes na cidade de Petrolina (PE) (N = 127), assim como de japoneses supostamente saudaveis (N = 30) foram examinados sorologicamente atraves de testes como ELISA; os antigenos utilizados foram preparados a partir de ovos (ELISA-ovo) e de vermes adultos de Schistosoma mansoni (ELISA-adulto). Em 100 por cento dos soros de individuos nao infectados residentes em areas nao endemicas, tanto na ELISA-ovo como na ELISA-adulto os resultados foram negativos. No tocante a reacoes cruzadas, em 78 soros provenientes de individuos portadores de diferentes parasitas intestinais, apenas um apresentou reatividade frente aos antigenos de vermes adultos e ovos. O ELISA-ovo realizado com o soro de 51 individuos portadores de ovos de S. mansoni revelou uma alta sensibilidade (98 por cento de casos ovo-positivos); contudo grande numero de resultados falso-negativos foi observado em reacoes como ELISA-adulto, Ouchterlony usando antigeno de verme adulto, reacao periovular e intradermo-reacao. Em casos de jovens portadores

Dirofilaria infection in the breast of a woman in Japan.

Dirofilaria infection in the breast of a woman was reported from Japan. A nodule in the breast was excised and histologically examined. The sections of a female nematode were found in the center of the nodule. Based on the morphological features of this worm, it is suggested that this may represent the second human case of Dirofilaria immitis occurring in the breast.

Health status of Indochinese refugees in Japan: statistical analyses on anemia, eosinophilia and serum alkaline phosphatase.

Detailed statistical analyses were attempted on anemia, eosinophilia and elevation in serum alkaline phosphatase in the Indochinese refugees in Japan. A high statistical correlation was found between hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit for most of the refugees except the Cambodian females. Refugees with parasitic infections, particularly hookworm infection had significantly lower values for hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit. Significant eosinophilia was observed in the refugees infected with hookworms, Strongyloides stercoralis, Rhabditis sp., Endolimax nana and/or Hymenolepis nana. However, these parasites were found in the same subpopulations more frequently than expected by chance. Elevation in serum alkaline phosphatase was observed in young Cambodian immigrants. Analyses showed that the variations of this enzyme could be well predictable by those of enzymes such as serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, which are good markers for liver functions, in Cambodian immigrants, 13-24 of age, whereas no such correlation was observed in non-Cambodians of the same age group.