Bacteriological and serological study of pertussis in Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Charcoal horse blood agar is the medium of choice for isolation of Bordetella pertussis from patients with early whooping cough. Since sterile animal blood often is not available in developing countries, a field study in Nigeria was undertaken to evaluate donated human blood as supplement to charcoal agar. Out of 209 children with suspected early pertussis, 33 were culture-positive (isolation rate 16%). Out of 188 children studied serologically by enzyme immunoassay, 36 (19%) were seropositive. The satisfactory isolation rate of 16% shows that culturing for B. pertussis on charcoal human blood agar can be tried in countries, where there is no regular supply of bacteriological media with animal blood.

[Current questions in parasitology and infection prevention]. / Aktuelle Fragen aus der Parasitologie bzw. Infektionsprophylaxe.

Topical treatment of cutaneous larva migrans with thiabendazole and cambendazole is briefly described. AIDS has focused attention on the coccidial parasites Cryptosporidium spp. and Isospora belli because they can be responsible for severe chronic enteritis in immunodeficient patients. The species formerly known as Isospora hominis--after detection of its life cycle--has now been correctly named Sarcocystis bovihominis and S. suihominis, respectively. In future, patients harbouring commensal strains of Entamoeba histolytica can be left untreated, since pathogenic strains can now be identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The geographic distribution of malaria risk and drug resistance, side effects of antimalarials and recommendations for prophylaxis are discussed more extensively.

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in pregnant women and infertility cases in Abeokuta/Nigeria.

Cervical and urethral swabs were taken from 80 pregnant and 20 infertile women attending a catholic hospital in Abeokuta/Nigeria and screened for Chlamydia trachomatis using an amplified EIA. The prevalence in pregnant women was 11%, the distribution of positive findings among the anatomical sites urethra, cervix and both urethra and cervix being 4:3:2, which is a very high rate of isolated urethral infection. In the 20 infertility cases in which an additional hysterosalpingography was performed to demonstrate a possible tubal obstruction, chlamydia could be found in 15% with a distribution of 1:1:1. A subgroup with high evidence of tubal obstruction had a higher infection rate as compared to a subgroup with low evidence of tubal obstruction (p less than 0.03).

Rapid detection of group B streptococci in vaginal swabs of parturients by latex particle agglutination.

Duplicate high vaginal swabs were obtained from 200 parturient women at Abeokuta (Nigeria). By culture on a selective agar twenty-two women (11%) were found to harbour group B streptococci. The second swab was subjected to a 45 min enzymatic extraction procedure and then tested in a latex agglutination test for group B streptococcal antigen (Wellcogen Strep B; Wellcome Diagnostics, Dartford, UK). The latex test permitted the detection of three out of 22 colonized women (overall sensitivity 13.6%). The sensitivity for detection of heavy colonization was 50% (three out of six women). It is concluded that the sensitivity of the method employed for rapid detection of group B streptococcal antigen in vaginal swabs is still unsatisfactory.

Colonization of Nigerian neonates with group B streptococci and its rapid detection.

The rate of colonization by group B streptococci among Nigerian neonates in Abeokuta was found to be 19% (38 of 200 newborns). The recently described serotype IV was the commonest (35.1%) among the strains isolated. Three methods for the rapid detection of heavy colonization by group B streptococci in neonates were compared: Gram stain of the pharyngeal aspirate collected immediately post-partum; direct application of latex agglutination to the first post-partum pharyngeal aspirate; and application of latex agglutination to selective Todd Hewitt broth, inoculated with pharyngeal aspirate and body swabs, after five hours of incubation. It seems that both latex agglutination methods can rapidly detect a considerable proportion of neonates heavily contaminated with group B streptococci intra-partum; therefore both methods deserve further evaluation.

Efficiency of serodiagnosis in amebiasis. Results obtained by four different tests in 13 458 persons with varying exposure.

Results are reported of antibodies to E. histolytica antigen obtained by enzyme immunoassay, complement fixation, indirect hemagglutination and latex agglutination in sera of persons with varying exposure to infection by E. histolytica. The data are compared to findings in non-exposed persons and in patients with amebic liver abscess. From the results it is concluded that the value of serodiagnosis in amebiasis is higher in patients, who have traveled in tropical areas for a limited period, than in residents of the tropics.

[Nutritional status and health status of under-fives of the Mentawai island Sipora (Indonesia) (author's transl)]. / Ernährungs- und Gesundheitszustand von unter Fünfjährigen der Mentawai-Insel Sipora/Indonesien.

Weight, Height, head circumference, chest circumference, arm circumference and triceps skinfold of 223 children under 5 years from the small Mentawai island Sipora/Indonesia have been measured and related to international standards. Beginning from standard values, the anthropometric data decrease during the first 2-3 years, rising again in the following years. Weight for age is 72% of standard at 24 months and 83% at 5 years, height for age 89% at 30 months and 92% at 5 years, weight for height of the boys 82% at 12 months, of the girls 79% at 24 months and 94% for both at 4-5 years, chest/head ratio 95% at 12 months and 100% at 3-5 years. Arm circumference is 83% at 18 months 100% and above already at 3 years. Therefore, fold regains after the minimum of 90% at 18 months and above already at 3 years. Therefore, muscle growth would predominantly be reduced. The weight gain follows approximately the 3rd centile of english girls with a clear depression between 9 and 30 months. The birth weights of 476 children are 3230 g (boys) and 3120 g (girls). Perinatal mortality is low (2.9%), mortality during the first 5 years between 15 and 24%. In the health centre charts of 126 children under 5 years of a selected village (93% of that age group) 463 treatments in 5 years are recorded. The most frequent diagnoses are diseases of the respiratory tract (38% of all treatments), followed by malaria (23%), diarrhoea (19%), ascaris and hookworm infections (7.6%) and skin conditions (6%). Tuberculosis was the cause of treatment in 1.3%. In spite of the temporary growth retardation, as indicated by the anthropometric values, no cases of clinical Protein-Energy-Malnutrition have been observed. Malaria seems to be holoendemic, since all 223 children had a palpable spleen.

[Serum-antibodies in patients with extra-intestinal amoebiasis (amoebic liver abscess) and healthy persons (author's transl)]. / Serum-Antikörper bei Patienten mit extraintestinaler Amöbiasis (Amöbenleberabszess) und Kontrollpersonen

Tests for serum antibodies against two amoeba antigens were performed on serum samples from 70 patients with amoebic liver abscesses, 204 travellers returning from tropical countries and 136 inhabitants of an endemic region without evidence of amoebiasis. Suspicious or borderline results in the complement-fixation, indirect haemagglutination, latex-agglutination, and double-gel diffusion tests occurred in 73.3%-90.4% of patients with amoebic liver abscess, in the same reactions (except double-gel diffusion test) in 12.1-18.9% of travellers in the trophics, and 16.2%-46.3% of inhabitants of endemic regions. There was evidence for the need of performing several tests: patients with amoebic liver abscesses gave diagnostically useful results the more frequently the more tests were performed on a given serum sample. Negative results in the three tests occurred in only one case of multiple liver abscesses, but the sample had been obtained very early.