La infección por fasciola hepática en el Perú: una enfermedad emergente / The infection Fasciola Liver in Peru: an emerging disease

Objetivos: El objetivo del presente estudio es reportar el número de casos humanos con la infección por fasciola hepática en el Perú desde 1963 al 2005. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda electrónica en las bases de datos bibliográficas de MEDLINE, LILACS, en bibliotecas de las Facultades de Medicina, Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Filosofía y Ciencias de las principales universidades e institutos del Perú. Se incluyeron referencias en revistas nacionales e internacionales que reporten casos peruanos. Resultados: Un total de 1701 personas (1-71 años) infectadas fueron reportadas en el Perú entre 1963 y 2005. El género femenino fue significativamente más frecuente que el masculino. Del total de casos, 191 eran casos agudos (11por ciento); 1313 en fase crónica (77.1 por ciento); y 167, crónicos asintomáticos (9.8 por ciento). Los casos infectados procedían de 17 departamentos del Perú lo cual representa 71 por ciento (n=24) del territorio nacional. El número de sujetos infectados se presentan por décadas apreciándose un paulatino aumento alcanzando a 54.1 casos por año en la última década analizada. Conclusiones: Debido al significativo incremento de casos reportados en las últimas 4 décadas, la fasciolosis humana es una enfermedad infecciosa parasitaria emergente en el Perú y urgen programas de prevención y control para esta zoonosis.

Objetives: The study is a recompilation of the reported human cases of Fasciola hepatica infection in Peru since 1963 to 2005. Methods: We review the electronic documentation of bibliographic resources in MEDLINE, LILACS, libraries of the medical, veterinary, philosophy and sciences faculties of the main universities and scientific institutions from Peru. We include all the references from national and international journals who report Peruvian cases of fasciolosis. Results: 1701 subjects in total were report in Peru between 1963 and 2005. The range of the age of the reported cases goes from 1 year to 71 years. Females were significative more common than males. 191cases were acute (11 per cent); 1313 chronic (77.1 per cent); y 167, chronic asymptomatic (9.8 per cent). The reported cases came from 17/24 departments of Peru that represent 71 per cent of the; Peruvian territory. The number the reported cases are increasing during the last decade to reach 54.1 cases in the last decade.Conclusions. Due to the significative increase of reported cases in the last 4 decades, human fasciolosis is an emergent parasitary infective disease in humans in Peru and we need preventive and control national health programs for this zoonosis.

[Fasciola hepatica infection in Peru: an emergent disease]. / La infección por Fasciola hepatica en el Perú: una enfermedad emergente.

OBJECTIVE: [corrected] The study is a recompilation of the reported human cases of Fasciola hepatica infection in Peru since 1963 to 2005. METHODS: We review the electronic documentation of bibliographic resources in MEDLINE, LILACS, libraries of the medical, veterinary, philosophy and sciences faculties of the main universities and scientific institutions from Peru. We include all the references from national and international journals who report Peruvian cases of fasciolosis. RESULTS: 1701 subjects in total were report in Peru between 1963 and 2005. The range of the age of the reported cases goes from 1 year to 71 years. Females were significative more common than males. 191cases were acute (11%); 1313 chronic (77.1%); y 167, chronic asymptomatic (9.8%). The reported cases came from 17/24 departments of Peru that represent 71% of the; Peruvian territory. The number the reported cases are increasing during the last decade to reach 54.1 cases in the last decade. CONCLUSIONS. Due to the significative increase of reported cases in the last 4 decades, human fasciolosis is an emergent parasitary infective disease in humans in Peru and we need preventive and control national health programs for this zoonosis.

Characterization of the humoral immune response in alpacas (Lama pacos) experimentally infected with Fasciola hepatica against cysteine proteinases Fas1 and Fas2 and histopathological findings.

A characterization of the humoral immune response of alpacas to Fasciola hepatica Fas1 and Fas2 antigens, two abundant cysteine proteinases in the excretory/secretory (E/S) products, was performed over the course of 6 months of experimental infection. Six adult alpacas aged 1-2 years old received a single dose of 200 F. hepatica metacercariae; two non-infected alpacas were kept as control group. All infected animals shed eggs 8 weeks post-infection (PI) and the number of flukes recovered at necropsy averaged 41+/-4. The livers of infected animals showed regions with chronic inflammation, granuloma containing parasite eggs, necrosis and cirrhosis. Peripheral eosinophilia in infected animals was greatly enhanced 6 weeks post-infection and later. A single peak of serum glutamic piruvic transaminase (SGPT) was observed 4 weeks PI and serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (SGOT) elevated 3 weeks PI and later. Circulating IgG Abs against Fas1 and Fas2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fas2-ELISA detected the infection 10 days PI reaching to highest titer on 7-8 weeks PI and kept elevated, until the end of infection. Fas1-ELISA detected the infection 2 weeks PI and followed the same pattern as Fas2-ELISA. Anti Fas2 IgG Abs were in higher titers and showed stronger avidity than anti Fas1 IgG Abs. In addition, rabbit IgG antibodies raised against cysteine proteinase Fas2 showed infiltration of this parasite antigen associated to the degradation of bile ducts and liver parenchyma of infected alpacas. In the present study we have established a F. hepatica experimental infection of alpacas, Fas2 appears to have a role in the pathogenesis of the liver damage in alpacas caused by the liver fluke. Infected alpacas elicited a strong humoral immune response against fluke cysteine proteinases Fas1 and Fas2, which might be considered as candidates for immunodiagnosis and vaccine development against fasciolosis in alpacas.

[The current importance of veterinary public health: the SAPUVET project]. / Importancia de la salud pública veterinaria en ia actualidad: el proyecto SAPUVET.

The authors propose reviewing the current needs for implementing veterinary public health programmes, from both the teaching and professional standpoints. This is warranted by the fact that veterinary public health has become extremely important in various fields of work, beyond conventional food inspection. The article discusses the public health role which veterinarians must play and the interactions between their activities and those of other groups such as doctors, epidemiologists, ecologists, chemists, or even sociologists and anthropologists. The authors also study and assess the basic working tool in veterinary public health--epidemiological surveillance--and how it operates on the basis of diagnosis and risk analysis. The second part of the article discusses the need to unify criteria for veterinary public health training and the role which the SAPUVET network is playing in doing so (SAPUVET is a European Union-supported project within the ALFA programme that is designed to establish links between Latin American and European veterinary faculties).

Intestinal parasites of the grey fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus) in the central Peruvian Andes.

The intestines of 20 grey Peruvian foxes (Pseudalopex culpaeus) were examined for the presence of Echinococcus granulosus and other intestinal parasites. Echinococcus granulosus was not found in foxes but Taenia hydatigena and T. multiceps were found in 7 and 4 animals respectively. The grey fox may not be a suitable definitive host for E. granulosus. However, it may act as a sylvatic reservoir of T. hydatigena and T. multiceps in the central Peruvian Andes.

The epidemiology and economic impact of llama parasites.

Camelids are distributed over vast areas of South America, ranging from south Ecuador to north Chile, with high concentrations in Peru and Bolivia. Guillermo Leguio discusses the effects that parasitic infections have on the health and productivity of these animals.

The prevalence of Sarcocytis spp in dogs, foxes and sheep and Toxoplasma gondii in sheep and the use of the indirect haemagglutination reaction in serodiagnosis.

Sporocysts of Sarcocystis spp were found in the faeces of 39.3 per cent and 25 per cent of farm dogs and foxes respectively. The indirect haemagglutination serodiagnostic test suggested that nearly all sheep in the area sampled became infected early in life and diagnosis of infection by this means correlates well with trichinoscopy findings. The sarcocystis antigens used in serodiagnostic tests did not cross react with sera positive for Toxoplasma gondii. Sarcocystis antigens derived from cattle cross reacted with ovine sera but comparative tests showed the titres to be less than where the homologous antigen was used.