Biomedical subjects

R Schmäschke

Publications and source records attributed to R Schmäschke.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[Indigenous helminthiasis].

Worldwide an estimated 1.5-2 billion people are infested with helminths. Over the last decades, in industrialized countries prevalence rates of human helminthic infections were decreased by means of wastewater and food control. In this article, we review the geographic distributions as well as the impact on the public health system of the most prevalent helminthiases. Special emphasis is given to Echinococcus, Enterobiasis, and Toxocariasis. Intestinal larvae or eggs of helminths can be detected in faeces. Pinworms are collected with a strip of cellophane tape with the sticky side towards the anus. Tissue helminthosis, like Toxocariasis or Trichinosis are associated with eosinophilia and can be diagnosed with sensitive immunological methods or by biopsy. Infection with Echinococcus multilocularis is the most serious parasitic disease in central Europe. Although current therapeutic options are limited, 5 year survival rates were markedly improved by the combination of medical and surgical treatment.

Demography↗

PubMed2006

[Tropical and subtropical helminthoses].

Human helminthic infestations are extraordinarily common in tropical regions and represent a significant burden for those countries and their populations. The risk of intestinal helminthoses is further increased by poverty. Particularly in children helminthoses lead to malnutrition (ascariasis etc) or iron and protein deficiency (ancylostomiasis). Tropical helminthoses like schistosomiasis and filariasis can cause severe organ damage, starvation, and early death. In contrast, returning travellers very rarely acquire tropical helminthoses, if they follow simple hygienic rules. Furthermore, the worm burden in returning travelers hardly ever is high enough to cause severe illness. Therefore, tropical helminthosis is more common in immigrants from endemic areas compared to returning travelers.

Demography↗

PubMed2005

Occurrence of Isospora suis in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Nationwide surveys for the occurrence of Isospora suis were carried out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland including a questionnaire regarding herd size, health status and management practices and a coccidiosis sampling kit for pooled faecal samples from litters of suckling piglets. A total of 184 veterinary practices participated in the survey and returned 1745 samples (331 kits) from 324 farms in the north (n = 98), south (n = 84), centre/east (n = 42) and west (n = 10) of Germany, Austria (n = 61) and Switzerland (n = 29) with larger farms in north and centre/east (average number of sows: 270 and 500) and smaller ones in the south (95), Austria (60) and Switzerland (43). Larger farms tended to have better hygienic standards (slatted floors, disinfection of the farrowing units). The majority of the participating farms (93.5%) reported problems with diarrhoea in piglets at 2-3 weeks of age, significantly associated (P < 0.001) with uneven weaning weights (94.9%). Toltrazuril (5%; Baycox) was used only rarely; however, in these farms unevenness of weaning weights was less frequently observed (P = 0.011). A 76.2% of the farms were positive for I. suis (samples contained mostly low or moderate oocyst numbers), especially in the south (P < 0.001). Oocysts were more frequently found in samples from farms with reported diarrhoea (P = 0.011), uneven weight gain (P = 0.019) or in herds of small size (P < 0.001). Disinfection, floor type or treatment with toltrazuril did not affect the frequency of observation of oocysts.

Animal Husbandry↗

PubMed2000

[The flea in cultural history and first effects of its control].

The knowledge about the biology and the origin of fleas from different periods of time as well as different geographical regions are described, starting from antiquity. Among this, the role of fleas in literature and art, for example in fairy tales and legends, proverbs and fables, painting and music and also the so called "circus of fleas" are covered. In connection with those aspects of cultural history the first efforts of control of flea plagues are mentioned. In addition to magic spells, these also include more or less complicated fleatraps for fleas and attempts of chemical control.

Animals↗