Ornithodoros mimon colonizing a residence in Campinas, state of São Paulo, associated with human parasitism / Ornithodoros mimon colonizando uma residência em Campinas, estado de São Paulo, associado a parasitismo humano

Ornithodoros mimon is an argasid tick species usually associated with bats and marsupials and occasionally parasitizes humans inside their homes. This paper reports a tick infestation in a residence in the municipality of Campinas, located in the interior of the state of São Paulo (SP). This report increases O. mimon occurrence in SP and corroborates its anthropophilic activity. Further studies are needed to clarify its role as a vector of pathogens. We highlighted the presence of O. mimon in an area with a large human population (Campinas) associated with synanthropic animals.(AU)

Ornithodoros mimon é uma espécie de carrapato argasídeo, geralmente associada a morcegos e marsupiais, sendo ocasionalmente relatada parasitando humanos dentro de seus domicílios. Este trabalho relata a infestação por carrapatos em uma residência no município de Campinas, interior do estado de São Paulo (SP). O presente relato amplia a ocorrência de O. mimon no estado de SP, corroborando sua atividade antropofílica, sendo necessários mais estudos para esclarecer o seu possível papel como vetor de patógenos. Destaca-se a presença de O. mimon numa área de grande contingente humano (Campinas), associado a animais sinantrópicos.(AU)

Distribution of sibling species of Anopheles culicifacies s.l. and Anopheles fluviatilis s.l. and their vectorial capacity in eight different malaria endemic districts of Orissa, India

The study was undertaken in eight endemic districts of Orissa, India, to find the members of the species complexes of Anopheles culicifacies and Anopheles fluviatilis and their distribution patterns. The study area included six forested districts (Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Nayagarh and Khurda) and two non-forested coastal districts (Puri and Jagatsingpur) studied over a period of two years (June 2007-May 2009). An. culicifacies A, B, C and D and An. fluviatilis S and T sibling species were reported. The prevalence of An. culicifacies A ranged from 4.2-8.41 percent, B from 54.96-76.92 percent, C from 23.08-33.62 percent and D from 1.85-5.94 percent (D was reported for the first time in Orissa, except for occurrences in the Khurda and Nayagarh districts). The anthropophilic indices (AI) were 3.2-4.8 percent, 0.5-1.7 percent, 0.7-1.37 percent and 0.91-1.35 percent for A, B, C and D, respectively, whereas the sporozoite rates (SR) were 0.49-0.54 percent, 0 percent, 0.28-0.37 percent and 0.41-0.46 percent for A, B, C and D, respectively. An. fluviatilis showed a similarly varied distribution pattern in which S was predominant (84.3 percent overall); its AI and SR values ranged from 60.7-90.4 percent and 1.2-2.32 percent, respectively. The study observed that the co-existence of potential vector sibling species of An. culicifacies (A, C and D) and An. fluviatilis S (> 50 percent) was responsible for the high endemicity of malaria in forested districts such as Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Angul, Ganjam, Nayagarh and Khurda (> 5 percent slide positivity rate). Thus, the epidemiological scenario for malaria is dependent on the distribution of the vector sibling species and their vectorial capacity.

Biting of anthropophilic Culicoides fulvithorax (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), a vector of Mansonella perstans in Nigeria

Anthropophilic Culicoides were investigated in a rural community endemic for Mansonella perstans in Ijebu North area of western Nigeria between December 2003 and October 2004. Three hundred and fifty-nine adults of Culicoides fulvithorax collected by human bait in the morning were dissected for Mansonella perstans larvae, and 1.95% of infection rate was found. Seasonal abundance of C. fulvithorax was investigated by monthly biting rates, and showed that higher prevalence was observed in rainy season, with peak in September. Culicoides prevalence was positively correlated with rainfall and relative humidity, but not temperature. Human perceptions on the behavior of these biting midges were determined by interviewing 854 self-selected villagers, of which 86.5% of the interviewees confessed having experienced Culicoides bites. Between 76.5 and 99.1% of the various age groups complained body reactions to Culicoides bites. Itching was the most frequent body reaction. No interviewees associated Culicoides with transmission of any parasitic infections. The results showed need to adequately control Culicoides in the community.

Tinea Pedis: An Opportunistic Infection of The Skin / 대한의진균학회지

In Japan, the average incidence of tinea pedis among dermatology out-patients is around 10%. Obviously this does not reflect the true invasion of dermatophytes on human skin. Several attempts to elucidate the incidence of tinea pedis among the population revealed nearly 40% of randomly chosen patients at dermatology clinics suffered from tinea pedis with an increasing incidence by age group. Furthermore, results obtained from regular medical checks of healthy adults at Nagasaki Municipal Hospital revealed more than 30% of the recruits had only a slight scaling of mild hyperkeratosis which could not be differentiated clinically from other pathological or even age-related changes. Nearly two-thirds of these tinea pedis lesions are left untreated, or even unnoticed as a disease. Several experiments to prove the presence of dermatophytes from healthy-looking skin revealed the possibility of the presence of subclinical lesions or carriers of dermatophytes accumulating around these tinea pedis patients. Uncontrolled tinea pedis lesions are a major cause of tinea unguium, which is expensive and time-consuming to cure especiallyin the aged. There are no standardized treatment modalities for tinea pedis patients focusing on the complete cure. But the difficulties to eradicate the pathogens from their host are common among opportunistic infections. Also the dissociation of the number of patients and the population having the pathogens without apparent lesions, i.e. healthy carrier, is a characteristic of opportunistic infection. Undetected tinea pedis patients are problematic since they are source of infection for others. Discovering and treating the hidden patients is becoming a public health problem, as well as a private hazard. Prevalence of pathogens in the host tissue and low mobility rate are a feature of opportunistic infections. The control methods for tinea pedis as an opportunistic infection should also be taken under consideration.