Determination of fecal occult blood in primary schoolchildren infected with Trichuris trichiura.

A correlation of Trichuris trichiura infection and fecal occult blood detection was conducted in 146 primary schoolchildren in Narathiwat Province, Thailand. The Kato-Katz thick smear method was used for determining egg counts and stated as eggs per gram of feces (epg). The number of T. trichiura eggs was categorized as class I (1-499 epg), class 11 (500-4,999 epg), and class III (> 5,000 epg), according to the relation between infection intensity and reduced hemoglobin concentration. Each fecal sample was processed to detect occult blood using a guaiac-based test (Hema-Screen, USA) and an immunochromatographic-based test (HEXAGON OBTI test, Germany). There were 50 schoolchildren without parasitic infection in the control group. Of 96 cases with T. trichiura infection, 85 and 11 children were classified in the class I and class II groups, respectively, but no subjects were in the class III group. Positive occult blood detection results in the control, class I, and class II groups using the guaiac and the immunochemical tests were 0, 3.5, and 9.1% (p=0.19), and 0, 2.4, and 36.4%, (p<0.0001) respectively. This study suggests that T. trichiura infection with an intensity of 500 epg or greater may be associated with intestinal bleeding.

Study on the latent iron deficiency in patients with trichuriasis

Trichuriasis is an intestinal parasitic disease which is caused by Trichuris trichiura, a soil transmitted helminth. In order to evaluate the iron status of trichuriasis in patients a total of 120 [49 males and 71 females] cases with Trichuris trichiura as well as 54 healthy individuals were evaluated. Blood samples were analyzed for serum iron, transferrin saturation%, haemoglobin and other haematological indices. Anaemia based on haemoglobin level less than 13 mg/dI in males and less than 12 mg/dI in females were found in 10 [7 males and 3 females] patients. Of remaining 110 non anaemic patients 11% [14.3% of males and 8.8% in females] would be classified as iron deficient by serum iron and 6% by transferrin saturation%. These findings suggest that serum iron and% transferrin saturation are valid and sensitive tests for detecting iron deficiency in these patients; and T.trichiura infection is associated with high incidence of iron deficiency

The relation between serum fatty acids and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in the Philippines.

The purpose of this study was observe the effects of soil-transmitted helminthiasis on the amounts of fatty acids in the serum. The subjects were 32 females with age ranging from 15 to 55 years old (22.6 +/- 12.0). The intensity of infection was light based on the criteria of the WHO Expert Committee. Seven fatty acids and serum cholesterol were determined, with the pentadecanoic acid (C15: 0) as internal standard. Serum fatty acid levels were correlated with age-group, dietary habit and body mass index. These factors were however not related with the levels of the serum fatty acids. But the amounts of palmitic acid and stearic acid in the infected group were markedly reduced as compared with the non-infected group.

Anthelminthic treatment raises plasma iron levels but does not decrease the acute-phase response in Jakarta school children.

The study was conducted to investigate the impact of intestinal helminthiasis and treatment on iron status and acute phase response (APR) among urban Indonesian primary school children, aged 8-11 years old. The prevalence of helminthiasis among these children was; Ascaris lumbricoides, 81.6%; Trichuris trichiura, 88.3%; and mixed infection of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura, 70.0%. Of 120 children enrolled in the investigation, 59 received a single 400 mg dose of albendazole, and 61 received a placebo. Ten days following treatment, the prevalence of ascariasis and trichuriasis in the treatment group diminished to 0% and 27%, respectively, and in the placebo group to 63.9% and 68.9%. Plasma iron, hemoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell (WBC), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) concentrations were determined prior to the intervention and 10 days after. Plasma iron concentrations and WBC count rose in the treatment group (p=< or =0.05) when compared to baseline status. Increases in hemoglobin concentrations observed in the treatment group 10 days post-treatment were not statistically significant. CRP, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF were found to be within normal limits for both groups both before and after treatment. ESR increased significantly in both treatment and placebo groups when compared the rates measured before treatment. These findings show that treatment with albendazole is associated not only with a decreased worm burden in school children, but also a rise in plasma iron.