ABSTRACT
A Schistosoma mansoni cercarial antigen preparation (cercarial transformation fluid--SmCTF) was evaluated for detection of anti-schistosome antibodies in human sera in 4 collaborating laboratories. The performance of SmCTF was compared with that of S. mansoni egg antigens (SmSEA) in an indirect enzyme-immunoassay (ELISA) antigen assay, the latter being used routinely in 3 of the 4 participating laboratories to diagnose S. mansoni and S. haematobium infections. In the fourth laboratory the performance of SmCTF was compared with that of S. japonicum egg antigens (SjSEA) in ELISA for detection of anti-S. japonicum antibodies. In all 4 laboratories the results given by SmCTF in ELISA were very similar to those given by the antigen preparation routinely used in the respective laboratory to detect anti-schistosome antibodies in human infection sera. In so far as the ELISA results from SmCTF are thus so little different from those given by schistosome egg antigens and also cheaper to produce, the former is a potentially useful new diagnostic aid for schistosomiasis.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Helminth/blood , Antigens, Helminth , Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods , Parasitology/methods , Schistosoma mansoni/immunology , Schistosomiasis/diagnosis , Adolescent , Animals , Antigens, Helminth/immunology , Child , Child, Preschool , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Female , Humans , Male , Schistosoma haematobium/immunology , Schistosoma japonicum/immunology , Serologic Tests/methodsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Deworming is recommended by the WHO in girls and pregnant and lactating women to reduce anaemia in areas where hookworm and anaemia are common. There is conflicting evidence on the harm and the benefits of intestinal geohelminth infections on the incidence and severity of malaria, and consequently on the risks and benefits of deworming in malaria affected populations. We examined the association between geohelminths and malaria in pregnancy on the Thai-Burmese border. METHODOLOGY: Routine antenatal care (ANC) included active detection of malaria (weekly blood smear) and anaemia (second weekly haematocrit) and systematic reporting of birth outcomes. In 1996 stool samples were collected in cross sectional surveys from women attending the ANCs. This was repeated in 2007 when malaria incidence had reduced considerably. The relationship between geohelminth infection and the progress and outcome of pregnancy was assessed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Stool sample examination (339 in 1996, 490 in 2007) detected a high prevalence of geohelminths 70% (578/829), including hookworm (42.8% (355)), A. lumbricoides (34.4% (285)) and T.trichuria (31.4% (250)) alone or in combination. A lower proportion of women (829) had mild (21.8% (181)) or severe (0.2% (2)) anaemia, or malaria 22.4% (186) (P.vivax monoinfection 53.3% (101/186)). A. lumbricoides infection was associated with a significantly decreased risk of malaria (any species) (AOR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.23-0.84) and P.vivax malaria (AOR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.79) whereas hookworm infection was associated with an increased risk of malaria (any species) (AOR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.06-2.60) and anaemia (AOR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.18-4.93). Hookworm was also associated with low birth weight (AOR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.02-3.23). CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: A. lumbricoides and hookworm appear to have contrary associations with malaria in pregnancy.
Subject(s)
Helminthiasis/epidemiology , Malaria/epidemiology , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/epidemiology , Soil/parasitology , Adolescent , Adult , Anemia/epidemiology , Anemia/parasitology , Animals , Cross-Sectional Studies , Feces/parasitology , Female , Helminthiasis/parasitology , Helminths/isolation & purification , Humans , Malaria/parasitology , Myanmar/epidemiology , Plasmodium/isolation & purification , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic/parasitology , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Rural Health , Thailand/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
A 7-yr-old female western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) shared an enclosure with 10 other gorillas at the Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC), a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Cameroon. The gorilla had been living at the LWC for more than 6 yr prior to the exhibition of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like clinical signs. The gorilla improved dramatically after metronidazole therapy. The report suggests that metronidazole was effective because it eliminated the protozoa, Dientamoeba fragilis. Dientamoeba fragilis should be considered on the differential diagnosis list of any captive gorilla with IBS-like symptoms.
