PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R E Boreham

Publications and source records attributed to R E Boreham.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Incidental finding of Myxobolus spores (protozoa: myxozoa) in stool samples from patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Myxozoan spores were detected in fecal samples from three patients presenting with abdominal pain and/or diarrhea. The spores were identical to those of Myxobolus plectroplites, a previously described pathogen from the freshwater fish Plectroplites ambiguus. All patients had recently eaten fish caught from local waters, and frozen fillets of such fish were found to be infected with M. plectroplites cysts. The passage of spores unchanged through the alimentary tract suggests they were incidental findings unrelated to clinical symptoms, especially since other enteric pathogens were present in two patients.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1995

Human trichostrongyliasis in Queensland.

Trichostrongylus infection, an uncommonly reported zoonosis in Australia, is common in parts of the world where there is close human contact with herbivorous animals. We report 5 cases diagnosed in our laboratory since 1992. Over this period the laboratory has conducted over 46,000 parasitological examinations on feces. All 5 cases were investigated for fecal parasites following detection of a blood eosinophilia. Two of the 5 cases complained of mild abdominal discomfort and diarrhea. It is likely that all obtained their infection following ingestion of contaminated unwashed vegetables which had been fertilized with animal manure. Four of the cases acquired their infection in Queensland and the fifth may have become infected in rural Victoria. All were treated with pyrantel embonate with resolution of the eosinophilia. Follow up fecal specimens showed no parasites. Patients were instructed on the mode of transmission and advised to thoroughly wash any uncooked vegetables prior to ingestion. In our cases, goats and horses were possibly implicated. No published reports of Trichostrongylus spp. in humans in Australia have occurred since the 1930s and it may be more common in Australia than is recognized. The infection may be missed because patients are asymptomatic or have mild gastrointestinal symptoms or only a blood eosinophilia. Trichostrongylus eggs may also be mistaken for hookworm eggs. It is important therefore to distinguish these infections from hookworm infection as the modes of transmission, management and advice regarding prevention differ.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Incidental finding of a microsporidian parasite from an AIDS patient.

Light microscopic examination of feces from a human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient with chronic diarrhea, anorexia, and lethargy revealed the presence of numerous refractile bodies resembling microsporidian spores. They were subsequently identified as belonging to the genus Nosema on the basis of their ultrastructural characteristics. However, the microsporidia were enclosed within striated muscle cells, suggesting that they were probably ingested in food; thus, this represented an incidental finding rather than a true infection.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax malaria using a specific deoxyribonucleic acid probe.

A deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probe which specifically distinguishes Plasmodium vivax from P. falciparum malaria has been derived from a P. vivax genomic DNA library. This probe, VPL101, consists of 3.2 kilobase pairs and does not hybridize with up to 6 micrograms of human or P. falciparum DNA. VPL101 contains at least two copies of a 205 base pair repeat sequence. The subcloned repeat probe, VPL101/5, reacted with 73 of 76 microscopically diagnosed P. vivax samples but not with any of 17 human DNA samples or any of 8 P. falciparum DNA samples from cultured parasites. It was possible to detect P. vivax in mixed infections in which only P. falciparum parasites were identifiable by microscopy. This P. vivax DNA probe provides a useful epidemiological tool for malaria control programmes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Imported malaria in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information on imported malaria in Australia. DESIGN AND SETTING: Patients with malaria diagnosed by microscopy by laboratories in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales between October 1987 and December 1988 were included in this study. The chi 2 test was used to analyse data. PATIENTS: Blood films, details of prophylactic regimens and clinical history were received from 146 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: This study was to determine the percentage of patients infected with each malaria species, where they contracted their infections, whether they had taken appropriate prophylactic agents and to determine the relationship between parasitaemia and previous exposure, symptoms and prophylaxis. RESULTS: One hundred patients (68.5%) had Plasmodium vivax malaria and 33 patients (22.6%) had Plasmodium falciparum malaria, with 3 (2.1%) infected with both of these malaria species. Ten cases (6.8%) were presumptively diagnosed as infections but diagnosis by microscopy was uncertain. Seventy-four per cent of the P. vivax infections and 85% of the P. falciparum infections were contracted in Papua New Guinea. Patients presented with a range of blood parasite concentrations that did not correlate with their symptoms, previous infection with malaria (P greater than 0.25) or the regular taking of prophylactic drugs (P greater than 0.1). Only 41% of the patients took any prophylactic drugs; the figure for temporary visitors to malarious areas was 54%. Only 11.6% of patients were taking the recommended drugs for the malarious areas they visited or were resident in. CONCLUSIONS: Constant monitoring of malarial infections is needed to ensure that appropriate advice is given to the traveller. Our study supports the dogma that malaria should be suspected in all patients who have been to malarious areas, regardless of previous malarious attacks, prophylaxis, treatment or the time which has elapsed since leaving the area.

Antimalarials↗