Background: Infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) predominantly affect impoverished populations in tropical environments. The periodic administration of single dose benzimidazoles (i.e., albendazole, mebendazole) to at-risk individuals endemic regions is at the center STH control strategies. Given low efficacy these drugs against trichuriasis, investigati...

BACKGROUND Past estimates have put the prevalence of schistosomiasis between 40% and 50% in the Malawi population overall based on studies undertaken ten years or more ago. More recent surveys in known high risk areas find similar levels. However control measures, changing ecology and migration may have led to changes in the prevalence of schistosomiasis in different parts of Malawi. A national...

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of tropical infections which are especially endemic in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Different groups define the set of diseases. In this context, we mention roundworms (ascariasis), whipworms (trichuriasis), hookworms (necatoriasis and ancylostomiasis), trematodes (schistosomiasis), lymphatic filariosis, ...

Almost 40 million people live on the islands, islets, and cays that comprise the Caribbean [1]. This is one of the most tourism-dependent regions in the world, with approximately one-quarter of the workforce involved in a business that in some way caters to tourists [2]. According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), an association of government and private sector agencies that dissemin...

BACKGROUND Control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections relies on the periodic and long-term administration of anthelmintic drugs to high-risk groups, particularly school-age children living in endemic areas. There is limited data on the effectiveness of long-term periodic anthelmintic treatment on the prevalence of STHs, particularly from operational programmes. The current study inve...

See page 1103 Over recent years the mortality of young children in developing countries has been reduced by mass immunisation, but there is no cause for complacency since many currently non-immunisable threats to their health remain. One major, and previously under-appreciated, threat to physical fitness and cognitive development is intestinal nematode infestation. Despite medical advances in o...

In a November/December 2010 article published in the influential journal Foreign Affairs, United States Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton articulated a new vision for American diplomacy and development through the strengthening of what she terms ‘‘civilian power’’ [1]. Stated briefly, the new doctrine calls for the creation of a new cadre of civilian experts who could jointly pursue dipl...

Eighteen years ago, when we began our studies in paleoparasitology, the main question proposed was whether Schistosoma mansoni infection has been really introduced by African slave trade in South America or has it been present among indians before Columbus. Up to now the question remains without answer, but it is interesting to point to some old and recent arguments regarding schistosome infect...

There has been substantial progress over the past decade in efforts to reduce morbidity from soil-transmitted helminth infections (STH). Morbidity control through preventative chemotherapy (PC) has been embraced by endemic countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and by partners as a clear and achievable goal. Few global health programs have achieved delivery of an intervention at a scale...

A rapid, sensitive and stability-signifying high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed and validated for the quantitative estimation of ivermectin (IVM) as a bulk drug and in pharmaceutical formulations. The separation was achieved on Lichrospher TLC aluminum plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 (20cm×10cm×200 μm) using n-hexane: acetone: ethylacetate (6.5: 3....