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Biomedical subjects

E D Newell

Publications and source records attributed to E D Newell.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Is onchocerciasis endemic to Nyanza Lac (Burundi)?].

Several cases of onchocerciasis have been detected among suspected patients at the Nyanza Lac health centre, in southern Burundi. Surveys in three 'collines' (administrative units) of the commune of Nyanza Lac confirmed the presence of the disease (5.5% in the sample). However, all the onchocerciasis patients were adults and had immigrated from the near-by province of Bururi, where onchocerciasis is endemic. Furthermore, no aquatic forms of simuliid flies have been found in the prospected watercourses and the environment is not characteristic of an endemic region. Thus, one can conclude that onchocerciasis is imported, and not endemic, in the commune of Nyanza Lac, but that the proximity of other endemic areas could entail a risk of transmission.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Endemicity and clinical manifestations of onchocerciasis in the province of Bururi, Burundi].

A sample of the population of 20 'collines' (administrative units) of the province of Bururi (Burundi, Central Africa) was examined to determine the prevalence and intensity of onchocerciasis in this endemic region. In all, 34.4% of the population is infected, that is about 80,000 people for the whole area. Around Rumonge onchocerciasis is hyperendemic. This area is surrounded by a mesoendemic zone and at the periphery onchocerciasis is hypoendemic. The clinical examination of a subsample showed that pruritus and skin lesions are not very frequent (58.2 and 28.1% respectively in positive persons). Subcutaneous nodules are small and difficult to find (21.3% in positive cases). Vision is 10/10 in 92.2% of the examined eyes. A slight drop in visual acuity may be attributed to onchocerciasis in 9.4% of positive cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effect of mass treatments with ivermectin, with only partial compliance, on prevalence and intensity of O. volvulus infection in adults and in untreated 4 and 5 year-old children in Burundi.

Between 1991 and 1994, 4 annual treatments with ivermectin were offered to the population of an area hyperendemic for onchocerciasis in the province of Bururi (Burundi). In one place, Kinama, the annual coverage ranged between 40 and 49% of the population. Of 151 persons who were examined there in 1987 and again in 1994, 4 months after the last treatment round, 43 took ivermectin all 4 times, 34 took it 3 times, 35 twice and 17 only once. Although the compliance in this population was incomplete and far from regular, the prevalence of infection in a sample of untreated 4 and 5 year-old children dropped from 60.0% in 1987 to 23.7% in 1994 (a reduction of 60.5%, P < 0.01) and their microfilarial load (geometric mean number of microfilariae in scarification slides) from 3.0 to 0.4 (a reduction of 86.7%, P < 0.01). It appears that even a suboptimal mass distribution of ivermectin can reduce the microfilarial load to a level where the transmission of O. volvulus becomes seriously affected.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Comparison of the use of skin scarification and skin biopsies to determine the prevalence and intensity of Onchocerca volvulus infection.

Two methods for the detection of Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae in the skin were compared in a population-based survey in Gatete, Murama and Jerama, three 'collines' (administrative units) in Burundi. Of the 513 subjects examined, each by both methods, 131 (25.5%) were found positive by skin scarification and 119 (23.2%) by membrane filtration of the fluid in which two skin snips had been incubated. Whilst the sensitivity of the two methods was similar (90% for scarifications and 82% for skin snips), more microfilariae were found by scarification than by biopsy (with geometric mean numbers of 9.1 and 4.1, respectively). Also, more of the cases with infections of low intensity (i.e. < or = 5 microfilariae detected) were found by scarification than by skin snipping (77.9% v. 60.3%; P = 0.06). The endemicity of onchocerciasis and age- and sex-specific prevalences and intensities of infection could be determined equally well using either method. The shortcomings of past comparisons between scarification and skin-snip methods are discussed. Skin scarification has many advantages for the detection of infected individuals in rural health centres and for use in population-based surveys. It may also be helpful when mixed filarial infections are present (especially where onchocerciasis and loiasis co-occur).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Endemic disease and clinical manifestations of onchocerciasis in the province of Rutana (Burundi)].

In 9 'collines' (administrative units) of the province of Rutana (Burundi) a sample of the population was examined to determine the prevalence and intensity of onchocerciasis in this endemic region. In all, the area is hypoendemic with 7.9% of the population infected. This means that, in a population of 52,000, about 4000 persons are parasitised. The intensity of onchocerciasis is low, in general. Clinical examination in a subsample of 4 collines showed that the number of people with onchocerciasis who complain about pruritus or who have skin lesions is limited (respectively 54.4% and 38.1%). Subcutaneous nodules are small and difficult to detect (20.6% in positive persons). Ocular damage, as measured by visual acuity, is minimal: 89.9% of the examined eyes had a visual acuity of 10/10. Amongst positive persons, 23.6% had a slightly deteriorated vision (between 9/10 and 3/10) which might be attributed to onchocerciasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Endemicity and clinical manifestations of onchocerciasis in the provinces of Cibitoke and Bubanza (Burundi)].

The prevalence and intensity of onchocerciasis in the endemic region of the provinces of Cibitoke and Bubanza (Burundi) have been determined through the examination of a sample of the population of 33 "collines" (administrative units). On average, 15.8% of the population was positive, which means that in a population at risk of 330,000, about 52,000 people are infected. The area is hypoendemic, but some mesoendemic pockets exist along the middle portion of the Ruhwa, Muhira and Kaburantwa rivers. The clinical examination of a subsample showed that respectively 69.1% and 48.6% of infected persons complained of pruritus or had skin lesions, which were most often light ones. Subcutaneous nodules were small and difficult to find (32.5% in infected persons). Vision was 10/10 in 89.1% of the examined eyes. A slight drop in visual acuity may be attributed to onchocerciasis in 12.8% of positive cases.

Burundi↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epilepsy, retarded growth and onchocerciasis, in two areas of different endemicity of onchocerciasis in Burundi.

A high prevalence of epilepsy (up to 1.3%) was observed in an area hyperendemic for onchocerciasis in the province of Bururi, Burundi. Following this observation, epileptics and controls were examined in 2 communes (administrative units) with different endemicity for onchocerciasis. Altogether, onchocerciasis was more frequent in epileptics (81.8%) than in controls from the same households (68.3%; P < 0.05). This difference was more marked in the hyperendemic area. Other possible causes of epilepsy, including cysticercosis, were infrequent (18 possible cases among 110 epileptics). During this survey, 9 epileptics with growth retardation were seen. They showed most characteristics of Nakalanga syndrome, which was described from Uganda. All 9 such cases were suffering from onchocerciasis. These findings give more evidence of a possible association between onchocerciasis and epilepsy, and between onchocerciasis and Nakalanga syndrome.

Adolescent↗