[Blood and urinary parasitosisi8 among non resident students in Tunisia]

The authors present the results of blood and urinary parasitological check-up carried out among non resident students in Tunisia, between 1990 and 2006 in the laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology of la Rabta-s Hospital. It-s a retrospective study having interested 4016 foreign and Tunisian students having stayed in Africa [52%], in the Maghreb [26.64%], in the Middle East [15.91%], in the Far East [3.43%], in Europe [1.96%] and in America [0.05%]. Three parasitosisis were determined: malaria, urinary schistosomiasis and filariasis. One hundred twenty eight cases of malaria were diagnosed among 3476 blood smears and thick smears carried out. Plasmodium falciparum was found in 59 cases and Plasmodium malaria in 4 cases. The remaining 65 cases were of Plasmodium sp. Thirty eight cases of urinary schistosomiasis were diagnosed among 3932 urinary parasitological check-up. Eight cases of filariasis were found: 3 of Loa loa, 3 of Mansonella perstans and in the remaining 2 cases, we had a combination of these two micrifilariaes. In Tunisia, there has been no local transmission of malaria and urinary schistosomiasis since 1979 and 1984 respectively. Although these diseases had been eradicated, their re-emergence is not considered impossible. The authors insist on the necessity of systematic screening of these parasitosisis among non resident students in Tunisia as well as an early and effective treatment of the parasitic patients

[About two cases of highly probable transfusion induced malaria]

Indigeneous malaria has not been seen in Tunisia since 1979. However blood transfusion has remained a cause of malaria transmission in our country. The last Tunisian transfusion induced malaria was diagnosed in 1985 We report two cases of malaria in two transfused patients documented in our laboratory in November 2003. The first case [patient 1] consisted of a Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a bone marrow transplanted patient; the second case [patient 2] was a Plasmodium malaria malaria, following blood transfusion for stomach surgery. Favourable outcome was obtained under intravenous quinine in patient 1, and oral chloroquine in patient 2. In both cases the relation between transfusion and malaria was not obvious. However, anamnesis showed a donor at risk [African origin] in patient 1, whereas the donor could not be identified at all in patient 2. We concluded that systematic screening of donors at risk would be the best way to prevent transfusion induced malaria in Tunisia

[Isosporosis in AIDS, about five Tunisian cases]

Isosporosis is a digestive parasitosis that occurs on a sporadic basis in our country. It is caused by a protozoan of coccidia class: Isospora belli. Between the years 2000 and 2004, five cases of isosporosis were diagnosed in our laboratory in five AIDS patients. Its prevalence among tunisian patients suffering from Human Iminunodeficiency Virus [HIV] infection in our series is about 1.41%. Main clinical manifestations consisted of acute diarrhea, with malabsorption syndrome in one case. Medical management based on specific antibiotics [sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprime], is efficient in avoiding recurrent episodes. However, recurrency remain frequent as long as immunity remains compromised