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PubMed1990

Diagnosis of parasitic disease.

Diagnosis of parasitic diseases requires highly sensitive and specific tests. In many cases the identification of parasites concerns their epidemiology and it is important to distinguish between species and subspecies. Conventional techniques including serology and microscopy do not always meet these requirements. The principle of nucleic acid probes is that a specific sequence of the parasite's DNA is isolated and used in a hybridisation assay to identify homologous parasite DNA from infected material. Since DNA normally remains the same during every stage of the parasite's life cycle this technique has many applications. The use of DNA diagnostics in the identification and differentiation of certain animal parasites is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The current status of parasitic diseases in Japan.

In Japan parasitic diseases have been considered to be successfully controlled in the last 30 years. However, some parasitic diseases, such as food-borne zoonoses and/or larva migrans, are emerging and/or re-emerging in Japan. Furthermore, imported parasitic diseases like malaria are also gradually increasing. Unfortunately accurate numbers of parasitic diseases other than echinococcosis, malaria, amebiasis, giardiasis, or cryptosporidiosis are obscure in Japan because of the lack of a legal registration system. Since symptoms and diagnostic imaging patterns of parasitic diseases are non-specific and have similarities with other infectious diseases or cancer, parasitic diseases are sometimes overlooked or left misdiagnosed. In this review, the current status of parasitic diseases in Japan is briefly summarized based on the analysis of the accumulated cases seen in our department. We also outline the clinical features, differential diagnosis and treatment of representative parasitic diseases for the better understanding and management of the parasitic diseases in Japan.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed2003

[Parasite detection and symptoms of parasitic diseases. 1: Blood parasites].

Blood parasites are malaria plasmodia, microfilaria species, trypanosomes (the causative agents of African sleeping sickness and South American Changas disease) and the causative agents of schistosomiasis of the bladder and the intestine. Their geographical distribution, incubation periods, signs and symptoms, microscopic and serological methods are described. In Germany around 1,000 tourists contract malaria every year, mostly travellers to Africa. Over 70% suffer from the life-threatening P. falciparum infection. Only a few days after the onset of this flu-like disease, complications may evolve. The best diagnostic method is the thin blood film. In case of a negative result this procedure must be repeated twice daily. The thick film requires experience. Rapid diagnostic tests can be helpful but are hampered by false negative results. Filaria loa loa may cause skin swellings, involvement of the eye and even the CNS; Wuchereria bancrofti can cause severe lymphedema. West African sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma gambiense) ends up in encephalitis, the East African form (T. rhodesiense) in a polyserositis. Schistosomiasis of the urinary bladder and the large intestine may cause severe diseases of the urinary tract or the liver.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

A syndromic approach to common parasitic diseases.

Standard textbooks discuss parasitic disease according to specific organisms. In contrast, patients with parasitic infections present to physicians with a variety of clinical manifestations that may involve any of several organ systems and that often mimic nonparasitic diseases. A syndromic approach to the clinical situation may help the physician in considering the most important parasitic agents. Many parasitic infections can be acquired in temperate climates. While often considered tropical or exotic, other parasitic diseases are now seen more frequently in developed countries because of immigration and increased world travel. In this review the clinical syndromes associated with common parasitic diseases in North America are discussed, with an emphasis on risk factors and diagnosis of specific infections.

Cholangitis↗
PubMed1985

Effect of maternal parasitic disease on the neonate.

Parasitic disease is the most common infectious disease complication of pregnancy worldwide, resulting in maternal debilitation and fetal prematurity and low birth weight. The increasing incidence of these diseases in our population led to the present study of 125 patients, 34 of whom were found to be infected with at least one intestinal parasite. In contrast to studies in developing countries, no significant differences in either maternal anemia, or fetal birth weight, or prematurity were found between the infected and non-infected groups. However, there was a three-fold increase in the incidence of significant neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in the parasitized group. Parasitic disease complicating pregnancy in our population does not appear to exert the same adverse effect on mother and fetus as that described in other countries. In view of the limited pathology associated with parasitic disease, treatment, other than with iron and vitamin supplementation, is not routinely indicated in pregnancy in populations similar to ours. However, due to the increased incidence of neonatal jaundice and morbidity we would recommend close observation of the neonates in the immediate postpartum period.

Adult↗