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Case Rep Gastroenterol 2018 May-Aug;12(2):224-229. Epub 2018 May 31.

Department of Medicine, Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility, New York, New York, USA.

Intestinal parasitic infections are a major public health issue across the world and particularly in rural and urban areas of tropical and subtropical countries. Those at increased risk include inhabitants of poor and disadvantaged regions, which are more likely to have inadequate environmental sanitation, insufficient water supply, greater contact rates with reservoirs of infection, limited health literacy, and socioeconomic disparities. Of the intestinal nematodes (roundworms) that parasitize the human gastrointestinal tract, is the largest in terms of size. Read More

VideoGIE 2017 Jul 6;2(7):179-181. Epub 2017 May 6.

Department of Gastroenterology, Jaswant Rai Speciality Hospital, Saket, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Parasitol Res 2018 Jun 2. Epub 2018 Jun 2.

Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Research and Diagnostic Center for Emerging Infectious Disease, Mekong Health Science Research Institute, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Ascaris lumbricoides is the largest roundworm known from the human intestine while Ascaris suum is an internal parasite of pigs. Ascariasis, caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, has a worldwide distribution. Here, we have provided the first molecular identification of Ascaris eggs and adults recovered from humans and pigs in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. Read More

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2018 May 23. Epub 2018 May 23.

College of Medicine & Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Background: There is a deficiency in up-to-date soil-transmitted helminth (STH) prevalence data for many regions, including Oceania. This study investigated the prevalence of STH in two closely associated coral atoll communities in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands, reflective of many similar island communities throughout the Oceania region.

Methods: An STH survey, using the Kato-Katz technique, was conducted on human subjects living on two coral atolls in the Eastern Solomon Islands. Read More

Wiad Lek 2018 ;71(3 pt 2):674-677

Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine, Lviv Municipal Centre For Family Planning And Human Reproduction, Lviv, Ukraine.

Objective: The aim: The purpose of this study is to analyze the frequency and structure of parasitic lesion in women with reproductive health disorders.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: The immune-enzyme method tested immunoglobulins IgG to ascaris, lamblia, toxocara. Determination of the presence of pinworm eggs (sticky tape and perianal scrape method) and ascarid (methods of K. Read More

J Immunol 2018 Jul 11;201(1):124-133. Epub 2018 May 11.

Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030.

Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, determine immune cell phenotype. To understand the epigenetic alterations induced by helminth coinfections, we evaluated the longitudinal effect of ascariasis and schistosomiasis infection on CD4 T cell DNA methylation and the downstream tuberculosis (TB)-specific and bacillus Calmette-Guérin-induced immune phenotype. All experiments were performed on human primary immune cells from a longitudinal cohort of recently TB-exposed children. Read More

Ital J Food Saf 2018 Mar 31;7(1):6899. Epub 2018 Mar 31.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia.

Meat safety and hygiene are fundamental issues for producers and endusers. To achieve these goals, the inspection of carcasses and organs at slaughter is critical. The results of inspection are the basis for planning preventive measures against consumer risks and for limiting economic losses. Read More

J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018 May;33(5):975

Department of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Trop Doct 2018 Jan 1:49475518768103. Epub 2018 Jan 1.

3 Consultant, University College of Medical Sciences & Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, New Delhi, India.

The most common cause of gallbladder perforation is calculous cholecystitis. Rarer causes include trauma, iatrogenic injuries, biliary stasis and gall bladder ischemia. We report a case of gall bladder gangrene with perforation, secondary to extensive ascariasis. Read More

Mol Immunol 2018 Mar 24. Epub 2018 Mar 24.

Institute for Immunological Research, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.

Human IgE against helminths is a normal component of the whole protective response elicitesd during infection, when specific IgE to a great number of antigens is produced; however, few of those IgE binding components are actually allergens. In general, considering the strong Th2/IgE responses during helminth infections is intriguing that they are not usually associated with allergic symptoms, which probably (but not exclusively) depends on parasite-induced immunomodulation. However, allergic manifestations have been described during some helminth infections such as ascariasis, strongyloidiasis, anisakiasis and hydatidosis. Read More

Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za Zhi 2017 Sep;30(1):72-75

Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of major parasitic diseases and related knowledge, attitude and practice among rural residents in Liyang City, so as to provide the evidence for formulating appropriate preventive strategies and measures.

Methods: Three villages were selected from three towns as survey sites, and the residents who were above three years old and had been in the village for over six months were investigated. The Kato-Katz technique was applied to detect intestinal parasite eggs in residents' feces, and the cellophane anal swab was used to detect eggs among children aged 3-6 years. Read More

Arab J Gastroenterol 2018 Mar 6;19(1):47-48. Epub 2018 Mar 6.

Department of Gastroenterology, Jaswant Rai Speciality Hospital, Saket, Meerut 250 001, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Ascaris is a common cause of acute pancreatitis in developing countries. The mechanism of ascariasis induced acute pancreatitis include obstruction of papilla of Vater, invasion of common bile duct, or pancreatic duct (PD). PD ascariasis is a rare diagnosis. Read More

Am J Med 2018 Mar 5. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Department of Radiodiagnosis, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir, India.

J Helminthol 2018 Mar 5:1-5. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Instituto de Investigación en Microbiología, Escuela de Microbiología,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH),Ciudad Universitaria,J1 Edificio,4piso,UNAH,Tegucigalpa,Honduras.

Ascaris sp. is a soil-transmitted helminth (STH) significantly affecting the health of human and swine populations. Health inequities and poverty, with resulting deficiencies in water, sanitation and hygiene, are directly associated with Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence in humans. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 03 1;12(3):e0006241. Epub 2018 Mar 1.

Research Triangle Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States of America.

Background: National mapping of soil-transmitted helminth infections (STH) was conducted for the first time in all of the 77 districts of Benin (West Africa) from 2013 to 2015. This mapping aimed to provide basic epidemiological data essential for the implementation of the national strategy against the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the context of achieving the WHO target of controlling these infections by 2020.

Methods: In each district, 5 schools were purposively selected in 5 villages and 50 school-children (25 girls and 25 boys) from ages 8 to 14 years were randomly enrolled in each school. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018 May 24;25(13):12883-12895. Epub 2018 Feb 24.

Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban, 4000, South Africa.

Wastewater may contain contaminants harmful to human health; hence, there is the need for treatment before discharge. Centralized wastewater treatment systems are the favored treatment options globally, but these are not necessarily superior in reduction of pathogens as compared to decentralized wastewater treatment systems (collectively called DEWATS). This study was therefore undertaken to assess the soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and Taenia sp. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2018 Feb 19:1-4. Epub 2018 Feb 19.

a Clinical Laboratory of Microbiology , AZ Damiaan , Ostend , Belgium.

Objectives:  The roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the most prevalent parasites belonging to the class of the soil-transmitted helminths. Infections are most common in developing countries with a tropical climate where sanitation and hygiene are poor. However, prevalence of ascariasis in industrialized countries is increasing because of immigration and increasing number of refugees. Read More

Urol Case Rep 2018 Mar 28;17:82-84. Epub 2018 Jan 28.

Zhytomir Central City Hospital №1, Velyka Berdychivsyka st. 70, Zhytomir, 10002, Ukraine.

Parasit Vectors 2018 01 31;11(1):65. Epub 2018 Jan 31.

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, St. Mary's Campus, London, W2 1PG, UK.

Background: The human helminth infections include ascariasis, trichuriasis, hookworm infections, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis. It is estimated that almost 2 billion people worldwide are infected with helminths. Whilst the WHO treatment guidelines for helminth infections are mostly aimed at controlling morbidity, there has been a recent shift with some countries moving towards goals of disease elimination through mass drug administration, especially for LF and onchocerciasis. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 01 18;12(1):e0006153. Epub 2018 Jan 18.

Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are among the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTD) worldwide. Since the publication of the WHO road map to combat NTD in 2012, there has been a renewed commitment to control STH. In this study, we analysed the geographical distribution and effect of community type on prevalence of hookworm, Trichuris and Ascaris in south Asia and south east Asia. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 01 18;12(1):e0006195. Epub 2018 Jan 18.

Department of Mathematics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.

There is clear empirical evidence that environmental conditions can influence Ascaris spp. free-living stage development and host reinfection, but the impact of these differences on human infections, and interventions to control them, is variable. A new model framework reflecting four key stages of the A. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2018 Jan 13;12(1). Epub 2018 Jan 13.

Faculty of Nursing, University College AAB Prishtina, Prishtina, Kosovo.

Background: Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the most common intestinal infections in developing countries, including Kosovo. In contrast to migration to the bile duct, migration of the worm to the gallbladder, due to the narrow and tortuous nature of the cystic duct, is rare. When it does occur, it incites acalculous cholecystitis. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2017 Dec 31;55(6):659-660. Epub 2017 Dec 31.

Department of Parasitology and Research Center for Mummy, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea.

Biliary ascariasis is still the leading cause of surgical complication of ascariasis, though its incidence has been dramatically reduced. Herein, we report a case of biliary ascariasis for the purpose of enhancing awareness of parasitic infections as a possible cause. A 72-year-old male visited the emergency room of Dankook University Hospital on 12 July 2015, complaining of right-upper-quadrant pain. Read More

Case Rep Surg 2017 26;2017:7167934. Epub 2017 Nov 26.

Hepatobiliary and Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, Al-Amiri Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Biliary colic is a visceral pain caused by attempts of the gallbladder or bile duct to overcome the obstruction in the cystic duct or ampulla of Vater. Obstruction can be due to different etiologies such as stone, mass, worm, and rarely by mucus plug. We report the case of a 31-year-old gentleman who presented with recurrent biliary colic and weight loss. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2018 Jan 9;143(1):13-14. Epub 2018 Jan 9.

Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Infektionsmedizin (ZINF), Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, AöR.

N Engl J Med 2017 Dec;377(24):2375

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Dig Endosc 2018 Mar 27;30(2):273-274. Epub 2017 Dec 27.

Gastroenterology Unit, Cochin Teaching Hospital, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017 Nov 27;11(11):e0006088. Epub 2017 Nov 27.

Center for Public Health and Ecosystem Research, Hanoi University of Public Health, North Tu Liem, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Human excreta is a low cost source of nutrients vital to plant growth, but also a source of pathogens transmissible to people and animals. We investigated the cost-savings and infection risk of soil transmitted helminths (STHs) in four scenarios where farmers used either inorganic fertilizer or fresh/composted human excreta supplemented by inorganic fertilizer to meet the nutrient requirements of rice paddies in the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Our study included two main components: 1) a risk estimate of STH infection for farmers who handle fresh excreta, determined by systematic review and meta-analysis; and 2) a cost estimate of fertilizing rice paddies, determined by nutrient assessment of excreta, a retailer survey of inorganic fertilizer costs, and a literature review to identify region-specific inputs. Read More

Vet Parasitol 2017 Dec 6;248:33-38. Epub 2017 Nov 6.

Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad deLeón, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña (CSIC-Universidad de León), Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 León, Spain. Electronic address:

The aim of the present study was to determine the association between the presence of Ascaris suum at fattening pig farms, using different serological methods and the percentage of affected livers at slaughter, with performance and management indices. In total, 21 fattening pig farms from the North of Spain were included in the study. Serum samples were collected from pigs at slaughter and analysed for the presence of anti-Ascaris antibodies. Read More

Prev Vet Med 2017 Dec 22;148:10-20. Epub 2017 Sep 22.

Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto. Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal; EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600, Porto, Portugal.

Ascariasis is considered a common parasitosis of swine worldwide. The disease causes significant economic losses due to its effect on feed conversion ratio and liver condemnations at slaughter (liver milk spots). This study aimed to characterise the between-farm and spatial variance in porcine ascariasis in England and to assess the association between the percentage of infected animals and potential environmental risk factors, including production system, socioeconomic deprivation, soil characteristics (pH, topsoil bulk density, topsoil organic matter, topsoil texture class, soil water regime, topsoil available water capacity, and elevation), and climatic conditions (relative humidity, air temperature, and rainfall) before slaughter. Read More

Indian J Pediatr 2017 Nov 11. Epub 2017 Nov 11.

Department of Parasitology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Worm infections continue to be among the most common diseases affecting children from low and middle income countries. Major worm infections of public health importance include Ascariasis, Trichuriasis, Hookworm, and Enterobiasis, which are transmitted through contaminated soil. In India, combined prevalence rates of worm infestation as per pooled data of 127 surveys is over 20%. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017 Nov 6;11(11):e0006022. Epub 2017 Nov 6.

Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are the most common parasitic infections in impoverished communities, particularly among children. Current STH control is through school-based mass drug administration (MDA), which in the Philippines is done twice annually. As expected, MDA has decreased the intensity and prevalence of STH over time. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2017 Oct;23(38):6952-6961

Department of Gastroenterology, Jaswant Rai Speciality Hospital, Meerut 25001, India.

Recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) is defined based on the occurrence of two or more episodes of acute pancreatitis. The initial evaluation fails to detect the cause of RAP in 10%-30% of patients, whose condition is classified as idiopathic RAP (IRAP). Idiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP) is a diagnostic challenge for gastroenterologists. Read More

Ann Emerg Med 2017 Nov;70(5):e47-e48

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC.

Ann Emerg Med 2017 11;70(5):748-750

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco-Fresno, Fresno, CA.

Parasit Vectors 2017 Oct 18;10(1):496. Epub 2017 Oct 18.

Institute of Parasitology and Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, Macdonald College, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada.

Background: Diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) has traditionally relied on stool microscopy, which has a number of critical deficiencies. Molecular diagnostics are powerful tools to identify closely related species, but the requirement for costly equipment makes their implementation difficult in low-resource or field settings. Rapid, sensitive and cost-effective diagnostic tools are crucial for accurate estimation of STH infection intensity in MDA programmes in which the goal is to reduce morbidity following repeated rounds of chemotherapy. Read More

Acta Parasitol 2017 Dec;62(4):748-761

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Schistosoma japonicum and Ascaris suum are considered as the major parasites of human which cause various life threatening diseases such as schistomiasis and ascariasis. The codon usage bias (CUB) is known as the phenomenon of more usage of a specific codon than the other synonymous codons for an amino acid. The factors that influence the codon usage bias are mutation pressure, natural selection, gene expression, gene length, GC content, RNA stability, recombination rates, codon position etc. Read More

Nutrients 2017 Oct 12;9(10). Epub 2017 Oct 12.

USDA, ARS, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.

Consumption of the probiotic bacteria and flavanol-rich cocoa have purported immune modulating effects. This study compared the host response to infection with in three-month-old pigs fed a standard growth diet supplemented with a vehicle control: LGG, cocoa powder (CP) or LGG + CP. Pigs were inoculated with infective . Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017 Dec 31;97(6):1851-1856. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

Janssen Research & Development LLC, Raritan, New Jersey.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a new chewable, rapidly-disintegrating mebendazole (MBZ) 500 mg tablet for and infection treatment. Pediatric patients (1-15 years; = 295; from Ethiopia and Rwanda) excreting and/or eggs were enrolled. The study had a screening phase (3 days), a double-blind treatment phase (DBP, 19 days), and an open-label phase (OLP, 7 days). Read More

Infect Dis Poverty 2017 Oct 9;6(1):139. Epub 2017 Oct 9.

Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Epidemiology, Indian Council of Medical Research, Chennai, India.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections often affect the poorest and most deprived communities. In order to generate reliable data for planning a school based deworming program, we conducted a survey among primary school children studying in government schools in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The objectives of our survey were to estimate the prevalence and intensity of STH infections. Read More

Vet Parasitol 2017 Nov 9;246:82-87. Epub 2017 Sep 9.

Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, Merelbeke, B-9820, Belgium. Electronic address:

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether serology can be used to measure exposure of piglets to Ascaris suum during the nursery phase. Experimental infection studies were performed in which 7 groups of 10 piglets of 4 weeks of age were orally infected with either 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 500 A. suum eggs/day during 7 consecutive weeks, mimicking a nursery phase in an A. Read More

Saudi J Gastroenterol 2017 Sep-Oct;23(5):306

Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Consultant Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeon, Ronak Endo-laparoscopy and General Surgical Hospital, Patan, Gujarat, India.

Ethiop Med J 2017 ;55(Suppl 1):3-14

Wellcome Trust Brighton & Sussex Centre for Global Health Research, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton, UK.

Introduction: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are important public health problems in Ethiopia. In 2013, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has launched a national NTD master plan to eliminate major NTDs of public health importance by 2020. Benchmarking the current status of NTDs in the country is important to monitor and evaluate the progress in the implementation of interventions and their impacts. Read More

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018 Jun 1;16(6):A23. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.

Lancet Infect Dis 2017 Nov 29;17(11):1162-1171. Epub 2017 Aug 29.

Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Background: Preventive chemotherapy is the current strategy to control soil-transmitted helminth infections (caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, and Trichuris trichiura). But, to improve efficacy and avoid emerging resistance, new drugs are warranted. Tribendimidine has shown good anthelmintic efficacy and is therefore a frontrunner for monotherapy and combination chemotherapy. Read More

Trop Med Int Health 2017 11 14;22(11):1442-1450. Epub 2017 Sep 14.

Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of schistosomiasis (SCH) and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to assess the capacity of the local health centres for diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: Cross-sectional school-based survey in two health districts in the Province of Kwilu. We collected a stool and a urine sample for parasitological examination. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017 Aug;97(2):563-566

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Teenagers have a high prevalence of ascariasis in low-income countries with endemic disease, and their hygienic behaviors and access to proper sanitation may be limited in rapidly urbanizing settings. We studied university students in Kabul to estimate the proportion with ascariasis and determine the prevalence of risk factors for infection. Ascariasis was assessed through microscopy for 520 students attending Kabul Medical University. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017 Nov 18;97(5):1616-1618. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.

Approximately one-quarter of the world's population is infected with at least one species of soil-transmitted helminth (STH). The role of produce and hands in STH transmission is not well understood. We collected and processed mother hand rinse and garden-grown produce rinse samples from 116 rural households in Kakamega, Kenya, in an area previously identified to have high STH egg contamination in household soil. Read More

Gastroenterology 2017 Sep 3;153(3):e1-e2. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

Department of Gastroenterology, Jaswant Rai Speciality Hospital, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.

PLoS One 2017 27;12(7):e0182094. Epub 2017 Jul 27.

Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.

Baylisascaris schroederi is a common parasite of captive giant pandas. The diagnosis of this ascariasis is normally carried out by a sedimentation-floatation method or PCR to detect eggs in feces, but neither method is suitable for early diagnosis. Fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) and galectin (GAL) exist in various animals and participate in important biology of parasites. Read More