BACKGROUND The low prevalence of allergic disease in the rural tropics has been attributed to the protective effects of chronic helminth infections. There is concern that treatment-based control programmes for these parasites may lead to an increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases. OBJECTIVE We measured the impact of 15-17 years of anthelmintic treatment with ivermectin on the prevalen...

Physio-chemical analysis of 200 soil samples collected from contaminated foci was investigated in six communities of Abua, Niger Delta Nigeria. The Jackson’s method was used in the chemical analysis of contaminated soils while Cobb’s decanting and sieving method was used in the extraction of geohelminths. The data showed that temperature, pH, Calcium (Ca), magnesium (mg), potassium (k) ions and...

OBJECTIVE To measure the effects of iron supplementation and anthelmintic treatment on iron status, anaemia, growth, morbidity, and development of children aged 6-59 months. DESIGN Double blind, placebo controlled randomised factorial trial of iron supplementation and anthelmintic treatment. SETTING Community in Pemba Island, Zanzibar. PARTICIPANTS 614 preschool children aged 6-59 months....

T helper (Th) cells produce signature cytokine patterns, induced largely by intracellular versus extracellular pathogens that provide the cellular and molecular basis for counter regulatory expression of protective immunity during concurrent infections. The production of IL-12 and IFN-gamma, for example, resulting from exposure to many bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens is responsible fo...

Pubertal development and associated downmodulation of proinflammatory cytokines may predict improved nutritional status, independent of chronic parasite infections, in developing countries. We enrolled 731 individuals, aged 7-30 y, from Leyte, the Philippines, where helminth infections and nutritional morbidity are highly prevalent. The following data were collected: venous blood hemoglobin and...

The efficacy of single-dose combination drug therapy with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) plus albendazole (ALB), and single-drug therapy with DEC alone against geohelminths was compared as part of a mass drug administration (MDA) for elimination of filariasis. This study was conducted in two blocks of Villupuram District of Tamil Nadu State, India, covering a population of 321 000 including about 100...

BACKGROUND To date, there has been no standardized approach to the assessment of aerobic fitness among children who harbor parasites. In quantifying the disability associated with individual or multiple chronic infections, accurate measures of physical fitness are important metrics. This is because exercise intolerance, as seen with anemia and many other chronic disorders, reflects the body's i...

OBJECTIVE To assess health status of 9-10-year old school children in Sri Lanka. DESIGN A cross-sectional, descriptive study. Schools were selected to obtain a sample representative at national and provincial levels and 20 children were randomly selected from Grade 5 classes in each school. MEASUREMENTS Children were examined for Bitot's spots and goitre. Height, weight, and visual acuity w...

The prevalence of intestinal protozoa and geohelminths was assessed among two diverse populations in the Kandy area: adults attending medical outpatients clinics at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, and pre-school children in low-cost housing areas within the Kandy Municipality. In addition to a brief history and examination, a fresh stool sample was obtained and examined by direct smears in sa...