scholarly journals The public health significance of Trichuris trichiura

Parasitology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 121 (S1) ◽  
pp. S73-S95 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.S. STEPHENSON ◽  
C.V. HOLLAND ◽  
E.S. COOPER

An estimated 1049 million persons harbour T. trichiura, including 114 million preschool-age children and 233 million school-age children. The prevalence of T. trichiura is high and may reach 95% in children in many parts of the world where protein energy malnutrition and anaemias are also prevalent and access to medical care and educational opportunities is often limited. The Trichuris dysentery syndrome (TDS) associated with heavy T. trichiura, which includes chronic dysentery, rectal prolapse, anaemia, poor growth, and clubbing of the fingers constitutes an important public health problem, as do lighter but still heavy infections, even if not strictly TDS, especially in children. The profound growth stunting in TDS can be reversed by repeated treatment for the infection and, initially, oral iron. However findings from Jamaica strongly suggest that the significant developmental and cognitive deficits seen are unlikely to disappear without increasing the positive psychological stimulation in the child's environment. The severe stunting in TDS now appears likely to be a reaction at least in part to a chronic inflammatory response and concomitant decreases in plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), increases in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the lamina propria of the colonic mucosa and peripheral blood (which likely decrease appetite and intake of all nutrients) and a decrease in collagen synthesis. Improvements in cognitive performance have been found after treatment for relatively heavy infections (without chronic dysentery) in school-going children; it is unclear precisely how much T. trichiura interferes with children's ability to access educational opportunities, but treatment of infections whenever possible is obviously sensible. The blood loss that can occur in T. trichiura infection is likely to contribute to anaemia, particularly if the child also harbours hookworm, malaria and/or has a low intake of dietary iron. Community control is important, particularly for the individuals within a population who harbour heavy worm burdens; this means children, with special attention to girls who will experience increased iron requirements and blood loss due to menstruation, pregnancies, and lactation. Mebendazole and albendazole, both of which are on the WHO Essential Drugs List, are very effective against T. trichiura; multiple doses are needed to attain complete parasitological cure in all cases. However the goal of control programmes in endemic areas is morbidity reduction, which follows when intensity of infection is significantly reduced.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1917
Author(s):  
Hiroki Nishikawa ◽  
Hirayuki Enomoto ◽  
Shuhei Nishiguchi ◽  
Hiroko Iijima

The picture of chronic liver diseases (CLDs) has changed considerably in recent years. One of them is the increase of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. More and more CLD patients, even those with liver cirrhosis (LC), tend to be presenting with obesity these days. The annual rate of muscle loss increases with worsening liver reserve, and thus LC patients are more likely to complicate with sarcopenia. LC is also characterized by protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Since the PEM in LC can be invariable, the patients probably present with sarcopenic obesity (Sa-O), which involves both sarcopenia and obesity. Currently, there is no mention of Sa-O in the guidelines; however, the rapidly increasing prevalence and poorer clinical consequences of Sa-O are recognized as an important public health problem, and the diagnostic value of Sa-O is expected to increase in the future. Sa-O involves a complex interplay of physiological mechanisms, including increased inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, hormonal disorders, and decline of physical activity. The pathogenesis of Sa-O in LC is diverse, with a lot of perturbations in the muscle–liver–adipose tissue axis. Here, we overview the current knowledge of Sa-O, especially focusing on LC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (14) ◽  
pp. 51-55
Author(s):  
Ülkü VERANYURT ◽  
Betül AKALIN

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections are a significant threat to public health due to the limited availability of antibiotics and the effect on mortality. This study was conducted retrospectively to determine the prevalence of CRE in a teaching and research hospital in Istanbul. Materials and Methods: In 2016, 2017 and in the first half of 2018 Klebsiella species were evaluated retrospectively in culture samples that were sent to Microbiology Laboratory in an educational hospital. The typing of Klebsiella species were performed with MALDITOF-MS device (Biomerieux, France). Imipenem, merapenem, ertapenem susceptibilities of the strains were evaluated with VITEC2 Compact (Biomerieux, France) according to EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing). If the strains were found to be resistant, the results were confirmed by the antibiotic gradient test. Results: In our study, 257 samples; Klebsiella oxytoca 9 (3.49%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae 248 (96.51%) were detected. 130 endotracheal aspirates, 57 wounds, 34 blood, 15 urine, 9 sputum, 3 catheters, 4 tissue biopsies, 2 mediastinum, 2 peritoneal fluid and 1 pleural fluid strains were identified. While none of the Klebsiella oxytoca strains were resistant to carbapenems, the percentages of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance against imipenem, merapenem and ertapenem were found to be 23.29%, 16.94% and 29.44% respectively. Conclusion: The increasing problem of carbapenem-resistant (CR) Klebsiella pneumoniae in the last decade has been observed in our hospital for the last 2 years. CR strains often show increased resistance to other antibiotics and their treatment possibilities are limited. It increases the importance of controlling this factor. The application of effective infection control programs and the use of rational antibiotics are of great importance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Hepti Muliyati ◽  
Menis Mbali ◽  
Hadidja Bando ◽  
Riana Pangestu Utami ◽  
Opyn Mananta

Wasting on children is an important public health problem because of its considerable impact on their health and growth. This problem could lead to iron deficiency which could induce infection disease and probably lower a child’s intelligence as a long-term effect. This study aimed to analyze factors related to wasting on 12-59 months children in Bulili Public Health Center (PHC), Palu City. The analytical descriptive study designed with a cross-sectional approach was applied in this study. One hundred and twenty-one subject was selected from 283 children with purposive sampling technique. Data were analyzed with chi-square and Fisher exact test with significant (p < 0,05). The result showed that most children with low birth weight experienced wasting with a p-value = 0,000. Most of the children from higher-income families did not experience wasting with a p-value = 0,004. Most children who didn’t receive breastfeeding milk did not experience wasting with a p-value = 0,958. This study concluded a correlation between low birth weight and income to wasting, but breastfeeding practice was not related.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256659
Author(s):  
Mehmet Aykur ◽  
Hande Dagci

Free-living amoeba (FLA) is widely distributed in the natural environment. Since these amoebae are widely found in various waters, they pose an important public health problem. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of Acanthamoeba, B. mandrillaris, and N. fowleri in various water resources by qPCR in Izmir, Turkey. A total of (n = 27) 18.24% Acanthamoeba and (n = 4) 2.7% N. fowleri positives were detected in six different water sources using qPCR with ITS regions (ITS1) specific primers. The resulting concentrations varied in various water samples for Acanthamoeba in the range of 3.2x105-1.4x102 plasmid copies/l and for N. fowleri in the range of 8x103-11x102 plasmid copies/l. The highest concentration of Acanthamoeba and N. fowleri was found in seawater and damp samples respectively. All 27 Acanthamoeba isolates were identified in genotype level based on the 18S rRNA gene as T4 (51.85%), T5 (22.22%), T2 (14.81%) and T15 (11.11%). The four positive N. fowleri isolate was confirmed by sequencing the ITS1, ITS2 and 5.8S rRNA regions using specific primers. Four N. fowleri isolates were genotyped (three isolate as type 2 and one isolate as type 5) and detected for the first time from water sources in Turkey. Acanthamoeba and N. fowleri genotypes found in many natural environments are straightly related to human populations to have pathogenic potentials that may pose a risk to human health. Public health professionals should raise awareness on this issue, and public awareness education should be provided by the assistance of civil authorities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the quantitative detection and distribution of Acanthamoeba and N. fowleri genotypes in various water sources in Turkey.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-37
Author(s):  
Dacio Pinheiro

Tetanus in the newborn infant is still a most important public health problem in Brazil. An analysis of 238 cases, admitted in a two-year period to the pediatric service of the University Hospital in Sao Paulo, is presented. It is suggested that prognosis is related more closely to amount of tetanospasmin produced and absorbed by the central nervous system than to some of the more traditional indices of clinical severity. The plan of treatment in use is presented, since the over-all recovery rate compares very favorably with other published reports.


Author(s):  
Jose Andonegui ◽  
Aitor Eguzkiza ◽  
Mikel Auzmendi ◽  
Luis Serrano ◽  
Ane Zurutuza ◽  
...  

e-Ophthalmology is the use of information and telecommunications technologies to provide or support a group of activities related to ophthalmic care. Chronic glaucoma is an ocular disease characterized by optic neuropathy that leads to progressive loss of the visual fields and often is associated with elevated intraocular pressure levels. Glaucoma is an important public health problem because it is one of the main causes of blindness worldwide and generates an important demand for ophthalmologic consultations. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the application e-Ophthalmology-based models in the diagnosis and follow-up of chronic glaucoma. The authors describe the current status of the use of e-Ophthalmology-based models in the screening and follow-up of chronic glaucoma, the main advantages of these models, the technologic requirements for their implementation, and future trends in this field.


Author(s):  
Diana N.J. Lockwood

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast intracellular organism not yet cultivated in vitro. It is an important public health problem worldwide, with an estimated 4 million people disabled by the disease. Transmission of M. leprae is only partially understood, but untreated lepromatous patients discharge abundant organisms from their nasal mucosa into the environment....


Author(s):  
Rayane Cristina Souza ◽  
Pedro Agnel Dias Miranda Neto ◽  
Jessflan Rafael Nascimento Santos ◽  
Sílvio Gomes Monteiro ◽  
Maria Cláudia Gonçalves ◽  
...  

Sickle cell anaemia is one of the most common hemoglobinopathies worldwide and an important public health problem in Brazil. This study evaluated the prevalence of sickle cell anaemia and its traits in newborns from the Amazon-Savanna Transition Region in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out, based on data from neonatal screening tests performed in 2013–2015 in Maranhão. The Hardy-Weinberg theorem was applied to analyse the frequency of expected homozygotes based on HbSS phenotype. A spatial-temporal distribution analysis was performed to delimit the regions with the greatest number of newborn cases with sickle cell anaemia. Of 283,003 newborns, 162 were found to have sickle cell anaemia, while 10,794 had a sickle cell trait, with a prevalence of 0.05% and 3.8%, respectively. The prevalence of expected homozygotes was higher in the North Region and in the state capital of Maranhão. This study may contribute to existing social and public health actions or the creation of new strategies for sickle cell disease in endemic areas in Brazil to improve the quality of life.


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