China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Control of Human Intestinal Nematode Infections
Published in Max J. Miller, E. J. Love, Parasitic Diseases: Treatment and Control, 2020
This is a major cause of anemia in tropical countries. The infection is soil-transmitted by infective larvae of Ancylostoma duodenale (“Old World hookworm” or Necator americanus (“New World hookworm”) penetrating the human skin. The adult nematodes are firmly attached to the mucosal wall of the upper jejunum on which they “graze.” Proper disposal of infectious human feces, the wearing of shoes, and other hygienic measures designed to prevent infection have been shown to be capable of eradicating this infection wherever they have been systematically implemented, e.g., in European mines. The deplorable fact that a considerable part of the world population is still suffering from hookworm infection illustrates again how difficult it is to implement this prophylactic strategy on a large scale in tropical developing countries. As with ascariasis, one practical way to control ankylostomiasis and necatoriasis in these countries is chemotherapy. In view of the fact that most patients are likely to also carry several ascaris worms in their gut, this type of periodical mass treatment in endemic tropical areas should be done with a broad-spectrum drug. The beneficial effects of this type of chemotherapy on the growth, morbidity, and mortality of children in particular and on the socio-economic development of large tropical developing areas in general would be enormous.
Pyrantel and Oxantel Pamoate
Published in M. Lindsay Grayson, Sara E. Cosgrove, Suzanne M. Crowe, M. Lindsay Grayson, William Hope, James S. McCarthy, John Mills, Johan W. Mouton, David L. Paterson, Kucers’ The Use of Antibiotics, 2017
A single report of pyrantel treatment failure against Ancylostoma duodenale exists (Reynoldson et al., 1997). This community-based study found that administration of pyrantel as a single 10 mg/kg dose to individuals naturally infected with A. duodenale had little effect on estimated hookworm burdens. The validity of these results have been questioned due to the omission of an untreated control group and the lack of attempted in vitro confirmation (Geerts and Gryseels, 2000). Hence there is no conclusive evidence that any of the human-infecting nematode species targeted by pyrantel have developed resistance to this drug. In spite of this, it is worth noting that resistance to pyrantel has been well documented in nematodes infecting domestic animal species—namely, pigs (Roepstorff et al., 1987), horses (Drudge et al., 1988), and canines (Kopp et al., 2007a). The mechanism of resistance to anthelmintics that act as nicotinic agonist drugs, including pyrantel, levamisole, morantel, and oxantel, remains poorly understood (Wolstenholme et al., 2004).
Waterborne and water-washed disease *
Published in Jamie Bartram, Rachel Baum, Peter A. Coclanis, David M. Gute, David Kay, Stéphanie McFadyen, Katherine Pond, William Robertson, Michael J. Rouse, Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
All of the faecal–oral helminths in Table 4.1 are considered geohelminths because they can be present as helminth ova (eggs) in human faecal matter that has been deposited on the ground (Feachem et al., 1983; Baron, 1996). They can persist and remain infectious in moist soils, sometimes for years. After the faecally excreted eggs mature in the soil (in hours, days or weeks, depending on the helminth), human exposure typically occurs by the mature helminth larvae penetrating the skin (by walking barefoot or handling or otherwise coming in contact with faecally contaminated soil) or by ingestion of mature ova on faecally contaminated produce or in faecally contaminated water. The life cycle of the hookworms and roundworms typically involves the movement of the helminth larvae from the skin, through the bloodstream to the heart and lungs and then to the gastrointestinal tract by having been swallowed as larvae that migrated from the lungs to the throat. The hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale can also be transmitted through the ingestion of larvae. Heavy infestations with helminths can cause a range of adverse health effects, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood and protein loss, intestinal blockage, rectal prolapse, and impairment of physical and mental development in children. Helminth infections are widespread, especially in the developing world where hygiene and sanitation conditions are poor and there is extensive exposure to human faecal matter from environmental sources (Feachem et al., 1983; Baron, 1996). Although helminth infections are readily treatable, reinfection occurs commonly due to re-exposure from faecally contaminated environmental sources.
Infection-related stillbirth: an update on current knowledge and strategies for prevention
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2021
Samia Aleem, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
Hookworm infection is a known cause of anemia in women, and anemia during pregnancy is further associated with preterm deliveries, low birth weight infants and other adverse pregnancy outcomes [56]. Over 60% of stillbirths are secondary to maternal anemia, and severe anemia in particular, increases the odds of stillbirth by four-fold (OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.8, 41.8) [57,58]. Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator Americanus are the two hookworms that typically infect humans and cause anemia, along with Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), and Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) [11]. Nearly 250 million girls and adult women of child-bearing age live in areas that are endemic for these soil-transmitted helminths [11]. Therefore, deworming during pregnancy is an effective tool to reduce anemia, thereby preventing adverse birth outcomes. The benzimidazoles (albendazole and mebendazole) are the two main deworming medications used for preventive chemotherapy regimens [11]. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found effective cure rates of albendazole and mebendazole against hookworm and roundworm, albeit low efficacy against whipworm [59]. The WHO recommends preventive chemotherapy using a single dose of albendazole or mebendazole for pregnant women, after the first trimester, in areas where the baseline prevalence of hookworm and/or whipworm is 20% or more in pregnant women and where the prevalence of anemia is 40% or higher in pregnant women [11].
Parasites of importance for human health on edible fruits and vegetables in Nigeria: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2018
The study showed a high degree of heterogeneity 98.2% (P: 0.000, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.45) which was observed even among sub-groups like Northern Nigeria 98.6% (P: 0.000, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.42) and Southern Nigeria 97.0% (P: 0.000, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.62) as shown in Supplementary Files 3–7. Ancylostoma duodenale and Ascaris lumbricoides which occurred in 17 (89.47%) of the 19 studies analysed recorded the widest geographical distribution. Cryptosporidium species had the highest prevalence- 21.9% (95% CI: 0.15, 0.79) as shown in Table 3. The overall pooled prevalence estimates of parasites of public health importance on fruits and vegetables were 33.1% (95% CI: 0.27, 0.44) and 28.1% (95% CI: 0.02, 0.35) respectively. Pineapple (Prev: 41.3%, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.75) and lettuce (Prev: 51.5%, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.68) were respectively the fruit and vegetable with the highest level of parasitic contamination while, pawpaw (Prev: 12.0%, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.31) and cucumber (Prev: 3.7%, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07) had the lowest level of contamination (Table 4).
Historical analysis of inverse correlation between soil-transmitted helminthiasis and pancreatic cancer
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2021
Soil-transmitted helminths, which include Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus (hookworms), Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworms), Trichuris trichiura (whipworms), and Strongyloides stercoralis (threadworms), are transmitted by eggs passed in the feces of infected humans. In regions that lack adequate sanitation (e.g., widespread open defecation, septic tank overflow), these eggs contaminate soil and freshwater sources. Larvae penetrate the skin of those walking barefoot on contaminated soil. Thus, areas lacking in hygiene and sanitation, proper sewage removal, and treatment systems are commonly endemic to STH.5