Geohelminth infections and mental development in Jamaica

ABSTRACT

There have been many studies of the effects of various geohelminth infections on children's mental development and school performance. This chapter will describe several studies conducted in Jamaica that primarily examined the parasite T. trichiura. In the first study, the investigators looked at the effects of the most severe form of T. trichiura infections-Trichuris dysentry syndrome- on the mental development and cognition of young children. The second study investigated the effects of moderate to heavy Trichuris infections on the cognition of school children, and the third was a clinical trial that examined the effects of mild to moderate T. trichiura infections on school performance and on cognitive function