Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the most common intestinal parasites causing Ascariasis in pre-school children living in under-developed countries with poor sanitation (Schulze et al., 2005; Steinberg et al., 2003). About 30 % of adult and 60-70% children in endemic areas have worm infestation (Khuroo et al., 1989). Most of the cases however, remain asymptomatic, but in cases with high worm burd...

BACKGROUND Nematode secreted haemoglobins have unusually high affinity for oxygen and possess nitric oxide deoxygenase, and catalase activity thought to be important in protection against host immune responses to infection. In this study, we generated a monoclonal antibody (48Eg) against haemoglobin of the nematode Anisakis pegreffii, and aimed to characterize cross-reactivity of 4E8g against h...

Although Ascaris lumbricoides, an adult intestinal nematode of the pig, lives in a habitat in which the oxygen tension is extremely low, considerable amounts of oxygen are taken up if the parasite is exposed to an aerobic environment (1, 2). Experiments with intact worms, homogenates, and particulate preparations confirmed these observations and demonstrated that oxygen uptake is dependent mark...

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) infect over one billion people worldwide. Ascariasis may mimic a number of conditions, and individual clinical diagnosis often requires a thorough work-up. Kato-Katz thick smears are the standard detection method for Ascaris and, despite low sensitivity, are often used for mapping and monitoring and evaluation of national control programmes. Although increased ...

Interleukin (IL)-13 is a key cytokine driving allergic and asthmatic responses and contributes to airway inflammation in cynomolgus monkeys after segmental challenge with Ascaris suum antigen. IL-13 bioactivity is mediated by a heterodimeric receptor (IL-13Ralpha1/IL-4Ralpha) and can be inhibited in vitro by targeting IL-13 interaction with either chain. However, in cytokine systems, in vitro n...

A study on risk factors of soil-transmitted helminths was conducted in a highly endemic area. In all 205 children (95 boys and 110 girls) participated in this study. The overall prevalences of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infection were 62.5%, 91.7% and 28.8% respectively. Only 22.4% of the children had a single infection either by Ascaris or Trichuris; 69.3% had mixed infection and the most...

A physiological preparation in which it is possible to record responses in muscle to stimulation of single motoneurons of the nematode Ascaris lumbricoides is described. With this preparation we have determined the physiological sign (E or I; excitatory or inhibitory) of the neuromuscular synapses of 21 identified motoneurons--12 are excitatory and 9 inhibitory. Ascaris motoneurons had previous...

A study to establish the prevalence of intestinal helminthiases among schoolchildren of riverine communities in the Ilaje-Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria was conducted. Ninety-four percent of the children studied were infected with intestinal helminths. Trichuris trichiura infection was the commonest (84%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (75.3 %) and hookworm (7.6 %). Dua...

The intestinal worm, Ascaris lumbricoides, ferments carbohydrate to a mixture of end products, of which the two major ones are Z-methylbutyrate and 2-methylvalerate. The mode of formation of branched chain acids with a methyl group at C-2 or other even numbered carbon atoms is still not completely understood. It has been proposed that these compounds could be formed either from the fatty acid s...

Controversy persists as to whether helminth infections cause or protect against asthma and atopy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of helminth infection on asthma and atopy among Bangladeshi children. A total of 912 children aged 4.5 years (mean = 54.4, range = 53.5-60.8 months) participated in a cross-sectional study nested into a randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh. ...