{"title":"Prevalence of leptospira in acute hepatitis syndrome and assessment of IL-8 and TNF-alpha level in leptospiral hepatitis.","authors":"M Rizvi, M Azam, M R Ajmal, I Shukla, A Malik","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To study the prevalence of leptospira in acute hepatitis syndrome and to assess interleukin (IL)-8 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels in the pathogenesis of hepatitis due to leptospiral infection. Two hundred and forty-seven consecutive cases with symptoms of acute hepatitis and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in the study and detailed clinical history was elicited from them. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for HAV, HBV, HCV and HEV were performed to rule out common viral aetiology of hepatitis. IgM antibodies to leptospira were detected by ELISA. IL-8 and TNF-alpha levels were estimated in leptospira-positive cases and healthy controls by ELISA. Out of 247 cases of acute hepatitis, 46 (18.62%) were observed to be positive for IgM antibodies for leptospira. The mean age of these patients was 31.99 ± 0.28 years (25 males and 21 females; M/F ratio: 1.19:1). The mean ALT, AST and ASP were raised in the majority of patients. IL-8 was found to be elevated (130.81 pg/ml) in a large majority of cases 41/46, 89.1% (P < 0.001). Patients with more severe symptoms were associated with higher levels of IL-8. One mortality was observed due to leptospira. Unpredictably, TNF-alpha level was largely suppressed (45.63 pg/ml) in most of the leptospira-positive patients in comparison with healthy controls. Leptospira-induced hepatitis should be actively looked for in patients negative for A-E viral hepatitis. IL-8 appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis of leptospiral hepatitis. High TNF-alpha should alert clinicians for aggressive in hospital management of patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 7","pages":"499-506"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000041","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30339205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M T H Ashtiani, M Monajemzadeh, B Saghi, S Shams, S H Mortazavi, S Khaki, N Mohseni, L Kashi, B Nikmanesh
{"title":"Prevalence of intestinal parasites among children referred to Children's Medical Center during 18 years (1991-2008), Tehran, Iran.","authors":"M T H Ashtiani, M Monajemzadeh, B Saghi, S Shams, S H Mortazavi, S Khaki, N Mohseni, L Kashi, B Nikmanesh","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epidemiological studies show that parasitic inections are among the most common infections and one of the biggest health problems of the society worldwide. Children at school age have the highest morbidity compared with other ages. Therefore, by treating these children, the disease burden in the total population is reduced. In this study, prevalence of parasitic infection in children referred to Children's Medical Center was compared in different years. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the subjects were children under 13 years who were referred to Children's Medical Center Laboratory during 18 years (1991-2008) and underwent stool exam by any reason. The specimens were evaluated by different common methods of stool parasitology. In suspected cases, parasites was cultured in specific medium and stained as needed. Required data were obtained from the laboratory files and analysed according to study's purpose. Subjects were 124 366 children. Among them, 0.78% of cases had parasitic infections and 60.54% cases were male. Parasitic infections were related to protozoa in 95.33% cases and intestinal worms in 4.87%. Of them, 50.352% were pathogenic protozoa. The most parasitic infection was Giardia lamblia. Among intestinal worms, the highest prevalence was related to Hymenolepis nana (40.7%). A comparison between the first 10 years and the next 8 years of the study showed that the prevalence of intestinal parasites were 8% and 1% (P < 0.001) and the rate for protozoal infection were 14.9% and 4.3%, respectively (P < 0.001). The prevalence of intestinal parasites was reduced during recent years; however, more attempts should be performed to make it lower.</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 7","pages":"507-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000040","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30339206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N Nonaka, S Nakamura, T Inoue, Y Oku, K Katakura, J Matsumoto, A Mathis, M Chembesofu, I G K Phiri
{"title":"Coprological survey of alimentary tract parasites in dogs from Zambia and evaluation of a coproantigen assay for canine echinococcosis.","authors":"N Nonaka, S Nakamura, T Inoue, Y Oku, K Katakura, J Matsumoto, A Mathis, M Chembesofu, I G K Phiri","doi":"10.1179/atm.2011.105.7.07","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/atm.2011.105.7.07","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Faecal samples were collected from the rectum of 540 domestic dogs from four districts (Lusaka, Katete, Petauke and Luangwa) in Zambia between 2005 and 2006 and prevalences of canine alimentary tract parasites were determined by coprological examination. Thirteen different ova and parasites including strongyle (43.3%), Spirocerca lupi (18.7%), taeniid (13.1%), Toxocara canis (7.6%), Sarcocystis sp.* (7.5%), Isospora sp.* (5.7%), Physaloptera sp.* (4.6%), Capillaria sp.* (2.8%), Dipylidium caninum (2.2%), Mesocestoides sp.* (2.0%), Ascaris sp.* (1.7%), Trichuris vulpis* (0.4%) and Schistosoma mansoni* (0.4%) were detected, Ascaris and Schistosoma probably originating from coprophagy. The species with asterisks and later-described Taenia multiceps are for the first time reported from dogs in Zambia. A coproantigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CoproAg-ELISA) developed for Echinococcus spp. revealed 43 positive dogs and 37 of these harboured taeniid eggs. From 63 of the 71 taeniid egg-positive samples, eggs and DNA thereof were isolated and subjected to a multiplex polymerase chain reaction for differentiating E. granulosus sensu lato, E. multilocularis and Taenia spp. Amplicons indicative for Taenia spp. were obtained from 60 samples. Sequencing of amplicons spanning part of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene, which was possible with 38 samples, revealed 35 infections with T. hydatigena and 3 with T. multiceps. Therefore, the CoproAg-ELISA showed some positives, but concrete evidence for the existence of canine E. granulosus infection could not be established. Comparison of the results of the CoproAg-ELISA and Taenia species identification indicated that the CoproAg-ELISA cross-reacts with patent infections of T. hydatigena (57%) and T. multiceps (33%).</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 7","pages":"521-30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4100310/pdf/atm-105-07-521.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30339127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J Li, G H Zhao, F Chen, H Q Song, X Q Zhu, G H Zhao, J Li, F Chen, R Q Lin, Y B Weng, M S Mahmoud, F C Zou
{"title":"A cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) method for the identification of geographical isolates of Schistosoma japonicum in China.","authors":"J Li, G H Zhao, F Chen, H Q Song, X Q Zhu, G H Zhao, J Li, F Chen, R Q Lin, Y B Weng, M S Mahmoud, F C Zou","doi":"10.1179/2047773211Y.0000000004","DOIUrl":"10.1179/2047773211Y.0000000004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 7","pages":"531-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4100313/pdf/atm-105-07-531.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30339128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M H Davami, M H Motazedian, M Kalantari, Q Asgari, A Badzohre, I Mohammadpour
{"title":"First microscopical and molecular-based characterization of Leishmania major within naturally infected Phlebotomus salehi (Diptera; Psychodidae) in Fars province, southern Iran.","authors":"M H Davami, M H Motazedian, M Kalantari, Q Asgari, A Badzohre, I Mohammadpour","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Zoonotoc cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in several parts of Iran. Jahrom district is one of the most important endemic foci of leishmaniasis located in Fars province, southern Iran. To identify the vectors of leishmaniasis in this area, a total of 349 sandflies were collected during May to August 2009. They were caught from outdoors in five regions of Jahrom district including villages of Mousavieh, Ghotb-Abad, Heydar-Abad, Fath-Abad and Jahrom County. Eleven species of Phlebotomine (three Phlebotomus spp. and eight Sergentomyia spp.) were detected. To determine the sandflies naturally infected by Leishmania spp., 122 female sandflies were dissected and evaluated microscopically using Giemsa-stained slides. Natural infection of 2 out of 38 (5.26%) P. papatasi and 1 out of 8 (12.5%) P. salehi to Leishmania major was confirmed in the region. Sequencing and nested polymerase chain reaction-based detection of Leishmania were carried out to confirm the microscopic findings. Five (13.16%) P. papatasi and two (25%) P. salehi were positive in nested polymerase chain reaction assay. All positive samples were shown 72-76% similarity with L. major Friedlin. On the basis of our knowledge, this is the first molecular detection of L. major within naturally infected P. salehi in this region in southern Iran.</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 7","pages":"485-91"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30339203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K Azizi, M D Moemenbellah-Fard, M R Fakoorziba, S Fekri
{"title":"Gerbillus nanus (Rodentia: Muridae): a new reservoir host of Leishmania major.","authors":"K Azizi, M D Moemenbellah-Fard, M R Fakoorziba, S Fekri","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gerbillus nanus Blanford, 1875 known as Baluchistan gerbil, is a granivorous solitary naked-footed species. No evidence of its natural infection with the protozoan parasite, Leishmania, has so far been provided. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health problem in many parts of the world, including Iran. The annual nationwide incidence of human CL due to Leishmania major (CLM) in endemic rural areas was above 18,000 cases in 2008. The detection of L. major in rodents is of fundamental importance for incriminating them as potential reservoirs of CLM infection. Between April 2007 and April 2008, following detection of 245 clinical cases in Jask region of south-east Iran, wild rodents were captured and checked by the microscopic slide smears for leishmanial infections. Overall, 106 gerbilline rodents were captured from which 17 were identified as Gerbillus nanus. Females of Meriones hurrianae, Tatera indica and G. nanus were found to be naturally infected with L. MAJOR. The presence of these parasites in G. nanus has never been reported before. All the amastigote-infected rodents came from the eastern plain of this region, except one T. indica from the western plain which was found to be smear-positive or kinetoplast DNA-positive by PCR. The highest (11·8%) prevalence of infection among rodents confirmed by PCR to be infected with L. major was attributed to Baluchistan gerbil, G. nanus, which is thus incriminated as a potential reservoir host of L. major in Iran.</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 6","pages":"431-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000036","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30282390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H K Bhattacharjee, T R Ramman, L Agarwal, M Nain, S Thomas
{"title":"Isolated cysticercosis of the breast masquerading as a breast tumour: report of a case and review of literature.","authors":"H K Bhattacharjee, T R Ramman, L Agarwal, M Nain, S Thomas","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000039","url":null,"abstract":"Cysticercosis (Cysticercus cellulosae) is a zonotic disease caused by the larval form of the nematode Taenia solium or pork tapeworm. Humans harbour the tapeworm in the intestine and are the definitive hosts in the parasite’s life cycle. Infection occurs after ingestion of undercooked pork or by ingestion of its eggs in contaminated food or water. Cysticercosis is a public health problem and is endemic in several developing countries of Asia, Central Africa and South America (Rajshekhar et al., 2003; Prasad et al., 2008). However, due to frequent migration and changes in travel patterns, it is now increasingly seen in developed nations also (Prasad et al., 2008). The commonest site for cysticercosis is the central nervous system. Involvement of the breast is extremely rare (Chi and Chi, 1978) and only a few cases are reported. In the breast, this parasite presents as a lump. Due to the rarity of the condition, these lumps are often mistaken for other common pathologies, such as cyst, fibroadenoma, or even carcinoma posing serious concern. We report here a case of an isolated cysticercosis of the breast masquerading as breast tumour, along with a brief review of the reported cases in the literature.","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 6","pages":"455-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000039","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30282393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F F Norman, A Pérez-Ayala, J A Pérez-Molina, M Flores-Chavez, C Cañavate, R López-Vélez
{"title":"Lack of association between blood-based detection of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA and cardiac involvement in a non-endemic area.","authors":"F F Norman, A Pérez-Ayala, J A Pérez-Molina, M Flores-Chavez, C Cañavate, R López-Vélez","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cases of chronic Chagas disease have been increasing in non-endemic areas due to the growth in immigration. This study examined the association between positive Trypanosoma cruzi-DNA detection in blood by PCR and presence of chagasic cardiac involvement in a cohort of immigrants in a European city. No association was found in this study between the positive T. cruzi blood PCR and cardiac involvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 6","pages":"425-30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30282389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C W Sawadogo, M Amood Al-Kamarany, H M Al-Mekhlafi, M Elkarbane, A H Al-Adhroey, Y Cherrah, A Bouklouze
{"title":"Quality of chloroquine tablets available in Africa.","authors":"C W Sawadogo, M Amood Al-Kamarany, H M Al-Mekhlafi, M Elkarbane, A H Al-Adhroey, Y Cherrah, A Bouklouze","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malaria is the biggest killer of African children, yet it is cheaply preventable and curable with insecticides spraying, impregnated bednets and effective drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Chloroquine (CQ) tablets available in selected African countries. Twenty-six samples of antimalarial CQ tablet of 100, 150 and 250 mg were collected from 12 African countries and evaluated for their quality in the Drugs Quality Control Laboratory of Rabat, Morocco. The identification and dosage of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the tablets, dissolution rate, hardness and the friability of CQ tablets were performed according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and European Pharmacopoeia (Eur.Ph.) recommended methods. The results showed that 7·7% of the sampled CQ tablets available in Burkina Faso were of low quality. Failure in dissolution profile was found in 50% of CQ tablets sampled from Benin, Burkina Faso, Comoros Union, Mali and Senegal. The findings showed poor quality of CQ tablets available in the African market. This problem may affect the efforts to control malaria in Africa. Efficient regulatory systems of drugs quality control should be implemented.</p>","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 6","pages":"447-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000030","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30282392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence and genotyping of Cryptosporidium isolated from HIV/AIDS patients in urban areas of Thailand.","authors":"M Srisuphanunt, W Saksirisampant, P Karanis","doi":"10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000032","url":null,"abstract":"An important parasitic infection among HIV/AIDS patients is the cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium is an intestinal protozoan that causes severe diarrhea and may lead to death in immunocompromised hosts. Cryptosporidiosis may occur sporadically or as outbreaks following zoonotic transmission from farm animals, person-to-person spread or the contamination of water supplied (Karanis et al., 2007). New species and genotypes of the Cryptosporidium genus are being identified in recent years and there is evidence that more than one Cryptosporidium species are involved in human infections and disease (Hunter & Thompson, 2005). Currently, 16 Cryptosporidium species have been considered to be valid, and C. hominis and C. parvum appear to be most widely distributed (Plutzer & Karanis, 2009). \u0000 \u0000Cryptosporidiosis had been recognized as opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS. Studies on the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in HIV/AIDS patients have mostly been restricted to those with diarrhea, or have been based on surveillance data. The occurrence of cryptosporidiosis increased worldwide due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the average prevalence rate in developing countries of 24% (range: 8.7–48%). Cryptosporidiosis is a significant infectious disease among the HIV/AIDS patients in Thailand, and the prevalence rate has been previously reported between 2.5% and 25% (Thamlikitkul et al., 1987; Jongwutiwes et al., 1990; Moolasat et al., 1995; Uga et al., 1998; Saksirisampant et al., 2002; Jirapiyo et al., 2002; Gatei et al., 2002; Tiangtip & Jongwutiwes, 2002; Wiwanitkit & Srisuphanunt, 2006; Srisuphanunt et al., 2008). Herein we describe the prevalence and Cryptosporidium species among of HIV/AIDS-infected patients with diarrhea from different hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand.","PeriodicalId":8019,"journal":{"name":"Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology","volume":"105 6","pages":"463-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1179/1364859411Y.0000000032","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30282394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}