Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis among preschool children in Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea

The present study was performed to determine the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis among preschool children in Gimhae-si, Korea. A total of 6,921 preschool children in 76 kindergartens were examined using the cellotape perianal swab method. The overall egg positive rate (EPR) was 10.5%. The EPR in boys was higher than that in girls (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.5, P<0.001), and it was higher in rural than in urban children (AOR: 1.2, P=0.022). The present study confirmed that the prevalence of E. vermicularis infection is fairly high among preschool children in Gimhae-si. Therefore, systematic control and preventive measures should be adopted to reduce morbidity associated with this nematode infection.     

A survey of helminthic infections in the residents of rural areas near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A total of 738 samples was collected to survey the helminthic infections of residents in two rural areas near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for 2 weeks from July 23 to August 2, 1998. Among 391 scotch-taped slides of anal swabs of children and of young teenagers. Enterobius vermicularis eggs were detected in 138 cases (35.3%). With the fecal samples of 206 Kato-Katz thick smear slides from adults, the eggs of E. vermicularis were observed in 9 cases and Taenia sp. in one case, respectively. And by ELISA on 141 blood samples absorbed to blood sampling paper, 12 cases (8.5%) were found to be positive against the hydatid cyst antigen. Enterobiasis and hydatidosis are two major endemic diseases which are related closely to the life style of Mongolian.     

Blastocystis hominis: frequency of infection in ambulatory patients from the northern section of Santiago, Chile]

In July 1989-July 1990 period, a coproparasitological study of 6,162 ambulatory patients from the northern section of Santiago, was undertaken. Out of the total number of the studied individual, 88.6% were children, (51.4% females and 48.6% males). The global frequency of infection by B. hominis was 30.4%. In relation to age. Blastocystis hominis was found in: 13.1% of the group of children (1 month-2 years); 34.1% of the pre-school children, 45.4% in the school-children and 43.0% in the adults. B. hominis was frequently detected in association with other parasites and/or commensals, and observed alone in the 6.0% of the studied patients.     

Genetic characterization and transmission cycles of Cryptosporidium species isolated from humans in New Zealand

Little is known about the genetic characteristics, distribution, and transmission cycles of Cryptosporidium species that cause human disease in New Zealand. To address these questions, 423 fecal specimens containing Cryptosporidium oocysts and obtained from different regions were examined by the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Indeterminant results were resolved by DNA sequence analysis. Two regions supplied the majority of isolates: one rural and one urban. Overall, Cryptosporidium hominis accounted for 47% of the isolates, with the remaining 53% being the C. parvum bovine genotype. A difference, however, was observed between the Cryptosporidium species from rural and urban isolates, with C. hominis dominant in the urban region, whereas the C. parvum bovine genotype was prevalent in rural New Zealand. A shift in transmission cycles was detected between seasons, with an anthroponotic cycle in autumn and a zoonotic cycle in spring. A novel Cryptosporidium sp., which on DNA sequence analysis showed a close relationship with C. canis, was detected in two unrelated children from different regions, illustrating the genetic diversity within this genus.     

Enterobius vermicularis egg positive rate in a primary school in Chungchongnam-do (province) in Korea

The egg positive rate of Enterobius vermicularis was investigated among students of a primary school and a kindergarten located in the rural area of Tangjin-gun, Chungchongnam-do in December, 1998. Of the 189 examinees, 28 (14.8%) were found to be infected with E. vermicularis by the adhesive cellotape anal swab method. The infection rates ranged from 4.2% to 26.1% among school children, and the highest rate was observed in children attending kindergarten. Three months after treatment with albendazole, four (14.3%) out of 28 infected children still remained infected with E. vermicularis. Through this survey, we were able to determine that E. vermicularis infection is still prevalent among children in rural areas of Korea.     

A survey of Enterobius vermicularis infection among children on western and southern coastal islands of the Republic of Korea

To determine the status of Enterobius vermicularis infection among children living on western and southern coastal islands of the Republic of Korea, children (3-10 years) in 39 kindergartens and primary schools were examined using the cello-tape anal swab method, during July and August 2000. Of 1,661 children examined, 307 (18.5%) were found to be positive for E. vermicularis eggs. The highest infection rate (59.3%) was found in a kindergarten and a branch school of Shinyang primary school on Chujado, Jeju-do (Province). Remarkable differences in egg positive rates were observed in different localities. The egg positive rate for boys (21.3%) was significantly higher than that of girls (15.4%) (P = 0.02). However, positive rates were not significantly dependent on age. The results of the present study show that E. vermicularis infection is highly prevalent among pre-school and primary school children living on the western and southern coastal islands of the Republic of Korea, and indicate the need for efforts to control this infection.     

Egg positive rate of Enterobius vermicularis and Taenia spp. by cellophane tape method in primary school children in Sivas, Turkey

The aim of the present study was to find out the number of students with enterobiasis and/or taeniasis in primary schools of Sivas. Among the 2,029 students in 6 primary schools, 316 (15.6%) were positive to Enterobius vermicularis eggs and 32 (1.6%) were positive to Taenia spp. eggs by the cellophane tape method. The egg positive rates of E. vermicularis and Taenia spp. ranged from 9.4% to 27.2% and from 0.8% to 2.6% respectively among six schools. The egg positive rate of E. vermicularis was found to be significantly different among these schools (chi2 = 31.96, P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference between the schools for Taenia spp. (chi2 = 4.37; P > 0.05). The rate (18.7%) of E. vermicularis in the urban slum regions was higher than the rate (11.5%) in the urban central regions (chi2 = 19.20; P < 0.05). Above results demonstrate that the egg positive rate of E. vermicularis and Taenia spp. was still prevalent among primary school children.     

Cryptosporidium viatorum n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) among travellers returning to Great Britain from the Indian subcontinent, 2007-2011

A novel Cryptosporidium genotype was identified, among travellers with gastro-intestinal symptoms returning to Great Britain from the Indian subcontinent, for which we propose the name Cryptosporidium viatorum n. sp. The epidemiology of these cases was distinctly different from those with Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis. Of the 10 cases identified involving C. viatorum, most were in the first quarter of the year. One occurred in 2007, one in 2008, three in 2010 and five to end March 2011. The median age was 19 years but most were in the 20-29 years age group and seven were male. The symptoms included diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. Compared with cases due to C. hominis and C. parvum, vomiting was reported less often, although the duration of gastro-intestinal symptoms was longer. The cases of C. viatorum were all travellers to the Indian subcontinent, whereas cases of C. hominis and C. parvum were more likely to have travelled elsewhere. Cryptosporidium viatorum isolates had indistinguishable sequences at each of the 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70), actin and ssrRNA loci which did not match any published previously and, although phylogenetically most similar to Cryptosporidium fayeri, they were distinct (<98% similarity) at the ssrRNA, HSP70 and actin genes. Morphologically, oocysts were typical of predominantly human-infecting species. Cryptosporidium viatorum n. sp. is proposed and work is warranted to investigate further the public health significance and occurrence elsewhere of this emerging parasite.     

Cryptosporidium Species and Genotypes in HIV-Positive Patients in Lima, Peru

ABSTRACT: Cryptosporidium parasites from a cross-sectional study conducted in two national hospitals in Lima, Peru were genetically characterized to deteimine the diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. in HIV-positive people. A total of 2,672 patients participated in this study and provided 13,937 specimens. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected by microscopy in 354 (13.3%) of the patients. Analysis of 951 Cryptosporidium - positive specimens from 300 patients using a small subunit rRNA-based PCR-RFLP tool identified 6 genotypes; Cryptosporidium hominis was the species most frequently detected (67.5%), followed by C. meleagridis (12.6%) and C. parvum (11.3%). Cryptosporidium canis (4.0%), C. felis (3.3%), and Cryptosporidium pig genotype (0.5%) were also found. These findings indicate that C. hominis is the predominant species in Peruvian HIV-positive persons, and that zoonotic Cryptosporidium spp. account for about 30% of cryptosporidiosis in these patients.     

Enteroparasitoses in the V Region, Chile. A study of rural school children from Santo Domingo, 1987]

The results of a new enteroparasitological survey carried out by the authors are analyzed with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of the situation of these infections in the V Region, Chile. In 1987 the children of five rural schools of Santo Domingo were studied by means of the modified Telemann method, the Ziehl-Neelsen stain and seried Graham test. The parasites more frequently found were: E. vermicularis (50.4%) and G. lamblia (10.8%). No E. histolytica was found in these children. The most frequent commensal was E. nana (21.9%). Cryptosporidium sp. presented a low frequency (0.9%), a figure that in these asymptomatic subjects is in accordance with that found in outpatients with chronic diarrhea in Valparaíso, V Region.     

Detection and differentiation of Cryptosporidium by real-time polymerase chain reaction in stool samples from patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This study reports the first genetic characterisation of Cryptosporidium isolates in Brazil using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A total of 1,197 faecal specimens from children and 10 specimens from human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients were collected between 1999-2010 and screened using microscopy. Forty-eight Cryptosporidium oocyst-positive isolates were identified and analysed using a generic TaqMan assay targeting the 18S rRNA to detect Cryptosporidium species and two other TaqMan assays to identify Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum. The 18S rRNA assay detected Cryptosporidium species in all 48 of the stool specimens. The C. parvum TaqMan assay correctly identified five/48 stool samples, while 37/48 stool specimens were correctly amplified in the C. hominis TaqMan assay. The results obtained in this study support previous findings showing that C. hominis infections are more prevalent than C. parvum infections in Brazil and they demonstrate that the TaqMan RT-PCR procedure is a simple, fast and valuable tool for the detection and differentiation of Cryptosporidium species.     

Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis among Preschool Children in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea

We assessed the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection and changes in the egg positive rate (EPR) over 1-year time, using the adhesive cellophane-tape perianal swab method in 2,347 preschool children in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea in 2008 and 2009. The overall EPR for E. vermicularis was 4.1% in 2008 and 4.5% in 2009. A study population of 389 children was repeatedly examined for 2 years. Within this group, the EPR in 2009 was twice higher than in 2008, and the EPR of the group of 5-7-year-old children was significantly higher than that of other age groups. Moreover, in the group of 5-7-year-old children in 2009, the rates of positive and negative conversion were significantly higher and lower, respectively, than in other age groups. Conclusively, enterobiasis was prevalent during 2008-2009 among preschool children in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, and the increased EPR in 2009 was due to an increase in newly acquired infections among 5-7-year-old children.     

Enterobius gregorii Hugot, 1983 recovered from school children in Kangwon-Do, Korea]

Hugot (1983), Hugot and Tourte-Schaefer (1985) reported that nematodes of the genus Enterobius causing human enterobiasis might be classified into two different species on the basis of the size and shape of spicule in male worms. E. gregorii Hugot, 1983 has significantly shorter spicules in males than those in E. vermicularis. A total of 194 male Enterobius were collected from 17 schoolchildren by anthelmintics at Wonju, Kangwon-do. The sizes of spicules and morphologies were comparatively observed. Two different types of spicules in male Enterobius were also observed in Korea. Out of 112 male worms observed, the percentages of E. gregorii (short-spicule type) and E. vermicularis (long-spicule type) were 23.2% and 76.8%, respectively.     

Egg positive rate of Enterobius vermicularis among preschool children in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea

In an attempt to determine the prevalence of pinworm infection, the egg positive rate of Enterobius vermicularis was examined using the adhesive cello-tape anal swab method in 1,512 preschool children sampled from a total of 20 kindergartens in Cheongju city, in November to December of 2004 (951 children from 13 kindergartens) and September to October of 2005 (561 from 7 kindergartens). The overall egg positive rate was found to be 7.9% (119/1,512); 9.3% (73/784) for boys and 6.3% (46/728) for girls, respectively. The 5-year age group evidenced the highest egg positive rate (10.9%, 47/430) among the examined age groups. As compared to those reported from previous works (ranged from 9.2 to 26.1%), the prevalence of E. vermicularis in the Cheongju city area is relatively low.     

Egg positive rate of Enterobius vermicularis of primary school children in Geoje island

The status of pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis) egg positive rate of primary school children in Geoje island was investigated by using adhesive cellotape anal swap method, in September, 2002. Total egg positive rates of E. vermicularis were 9.8% (74/754) and those of male and female were 10.8% and 8.7%, respectively. Among three schools examined, Myeongsa primary school showed the highest egg positive rate (12.6%) followed by Yeoncho [9.8% (26/266)] and Geoje [9.1% (35/385)]. As for the age groups, the 2nd grade had the highest egg positive rate (15.3%), whereas the 5th grade showed the lowest egg positive rate (2.6%). The above result led us to confirm that the egg positive rates of E. vermicularis in primary school children in Geoje island were not significantly different from the those in the whole country including urban and rural areas, showing more than 10%.     

Intestinal parasites in Iaualapiti Indians from Xingu Park, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Brine flotation and gravity sedimentation coproscopical examinations were performed in stool samples from 69 of the 147 Iaualapiti Indians of the Xingu Park, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Intestinal parasites were present in 89.9% of the population examined. High rates of prevalence were found for some parasite species: Ancylostomidae, 82.6%; Enterobius vermicularis, 26.1%; Ascaris lumbricoides, 20.3%; and Entamoeba coli, 68.1%. Infection by Trichuris trichiura, Schistosoma mansoni, Taenia spp. and Hymenolepis nana was not detected. Helminth's prevalence in children aged one year or less was comparatively low (33.3%). Quantitative coproscopy was done in positive samples for Ascaris and Ancylostomidae and the results expressed in eggs per gram of feces (EPG). Quantitative results revealed that worm burdens are very low and overdispersed in this Indian tribe, a previously unreported fact.     

Intestinal parasites infections in hospitalized AIDS patients in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

To determine the prevalence and the species spectrum of intestinal parasites (IP) involved in hospitalized AIDS patients, a prospective observational and cross-sectional study was carried out in the four main hospitals in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. From November 2006 through September 2007, a single stool sample was collected from 175 hospitalized AIDS patients older than 15 years. Parasites were detected by light microscopy, including Ziehl-Neelsen, Fungi-Fluor, modified trichrome stains, and by immunofluorescence antibody tests and PCR for species diagnosis of microsporidia. At baseline, 19 patients (10.8%) were under antiretroviral therapy and 156 (89.2%) were eligible for ART. The main diagnosis for justifying hospitalization was intestinal infection associated with diarrhea in 87 out of 175 (49.7%). 47 out of 175 (26.9%) were found to harbor an IP, and 27 out of 175 (15.4%) were infected with at least one opportunistic IP (OIP). Prevalence rate for OIP were 9.7%, 5.1%, 1.7% and 0.6% for Cryptosporidium sp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Isospora belli and Encephalitozoon intestinalis respectively. Considering patients with diarrhea only, prevalence rate were 12.6%, 4.6%, 3.4% and 1.1% respectively. The other IP observed were Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar in nine cases (5.1%), Ascoris lumbricoides in seven cases (4.0%), Giardia intestinalis in three cases (1.7%), hookworm in two cases (1.1%) and Trichiuris trichiura, Enterobius vermicularis, Schistosoma mansoni in one patient each (0.6%). No significant relationship was established between any individual IP and diarrhea. These results underline the importance of OIP in symptomatic AIDS patients regardless of diarrhea at the time of the hospitalisation, and showed that routine microscopic examination using stains designed for Cryptosporidium spp. or the microsporidia should be considered due to the absence of clinical markers.     

Infection rates of Enterobius vermicularis and Clonorchis sinensis of primary school children in Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do (province), Korea.

The egg positive rate of Enterobius vermicularis and Clonorchis sinensis of school children in the rural area was studied in Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do in Korea. Cellotape anal swab and formalin ether concentration methods were performed one time to 720 primary school children. The total egg positive rate of E. vermicularis was 12.6% in two schools (Baekjeon and Wiseong). In the Baekjeon and Wiseong primary school, the egg positive rate of E. vermicularis was 4.6% and 13.4%, respectively. Pinworm egg positive rate was 17.6% in the lower grades (1st, 2nd and 3rd), and 7.7% in higher grades (4th, 5th and 6th). The total egg positive rate of male and female was 12.6% and 12.7%, respectively. The egg positive rate of C. sinensis of Baekjeon and Wiseong primary school was 1.5% and 0.46%, respectively. The total egg positive rate of C. sinesis was 0.56%. This survey showed that continuous education and chemotherapy is necessary to treat and prevent reinfection of E. vermicularis. In the case of C. sinensis, health education for school children is recommended to prevent potential infection of adolescents.     

Molecular characterizations of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Enterocytozoon in humans in Kaduna State, Nigeria

The use of molecular diagnostic tools in epidemiological investigations of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Enterocytozoon has provided new insights into their diversity and transmission pathways. In this study, 157 stool specimens from 2-month to 70-year-old patients were collected, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene was used to detect and differentiate Cryptosporidium species, and DNA sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene was used to subtype Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum. Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in the specimens were detected using PCR and sequence analysis of the triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS), respectively. C. hominis and C. parvum were found in two (1.3%) and one (0.6%) specimen respectively, comprising of Ia and IIe (with 8 nucleotide substitutions) subtype families. The G. duodenalis A2 subtype was detected in five (3.2%) specimens, while four genotypes of E. bieneusi, namely A, type IV, D and WL7 were found in 10 (6.4%) specimens. Children aged two years or younger had the highest occurrence of Cryptosporidium (4.4%) and Enterocytozoon (13.0%) while children of 6 to 17 years had the highest Giardia infection rate (40.0%). No Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Enterocytozoon were detected in patients older than 60 years. Enterocytozoon had high infection rates in both HIV-positive (3.3%) and HIV-negative (8.3%) patients. Results of the study suggest that anthroponotic transmission may be important in the transmission of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis while zoonotic transmissions may also play a role in the transmission of E. bieneusi in humans in Kaduna State, Nigeria.