Immunologically determined prevalence rates of antibodies to toxocara canis in school children in Trinidad, West Indies - abstract

Preliminary observations of a high frequency of serum antibodies to Toxocara canis in patients attending Eye Clinic at the General Hospital, Port of Spain, Trinidad led to the hypothesis that children with pet dogs may have as high a frequency. Hence, the sera of 339 school children, randomly selected from the school register, were tested by ELISA for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. canis. The prevalence rate of T. canis antibodies in schoolchildren in Countries Victoria and St. Patrick (32.5 percent) were similar but higher than that in Country Caroni (12.7 percent). Overall, a prevalence rate for Trinidad was determined (77.6 percent) which was similar to that found in Dominica (78.9 percent), St. Kitts/Nevis (75.3 percent) and Grenada (78.5 percent). Apart from Toxocara, other helminths only, 12 had helminths and protozoan parasites and 26 had protozoan parasites only. Of 31/83 students without antibodies to T. canis, 7 had helminths only, 2 had helminths and protozoan parasites and 22 had protozoan parasites only (AU)

Blastocystis hominis in immunocompetent children in Trinidad - abstract

Blastocystis hominis, formerly described as an enteric yeast, was reclassified as a protozoan parasite. The organism has elicited tremendous interest as reports have been controversial regarding its status as a pathogen or non-pathogen. Between March and August, 1990, we examined the formed stools of 894 asymptomatic children (age range 1-14 years) by the modified Ritchie-formalin-ethylacetate method for ova and cysts of parasites. Fourteen of the 73 under-five (19.2 percent) had B. hominis with 8/10 having B.hominis only. Seventy-one of 96 (74 percent) orphans had parasites, 64 (66.7 percent) of whom had B.hominis with 22/64 (34.4 percent) having B.hominis only. In the survey sample of 705 school children 158 (22.4 percent) had parasites with 98 having B.hominis and 74/98 (75.55 percent) had B.hominis only. It was noted that 13 children who had heavy B.hominis burdens did not present with diarrhoea. Children 8-12 years old appeared to be most frequently colonised. From our experience, we conclude that B.hominis in immunocompetent children is not a pathogen (AU)