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On the basis of data published in the literature the geographical distribution of psoriasis vulgaris is described. One of the most interesting results is the increase of the psoriasis frequency in countries such as Japan, Korea, Kazachstan and East Africa. This could be due to the fact, that altered life conditions in connection with an increasing industrialization favour the manifestation of psoriasis genes. How far population differences of the psoriasis frequencies are to be seen exclusively as genetical ones, is hitherto unclear, but rather unlikely. No relations between psoriasis and climatec factors could be seen. Associations between psoriasis and several antigens (HL-A 13 and W 17) of the HL-A-systems seem to be present. These associations could be of considerable importance for the interpretation of the geographical distribution pattern of psoriasis. Further studies in psoriatic families are required, which describe the distribution of the HL-A specifities in the possibly potential psoriatic members of the families, who carry the respective genes.
A search was made of all diseases listed in the Annual Statistics of the World Health Organization to determine if any disease had the peculiar geographical distribution of multiple sclerosis. Of the approximately 83 diseases listed, only cancer of the colon was similar in geographical distribution and in the slight preponderance of females dying with the disease. The epidemiology of both diseases is reviewed, particularly with regard to their appearance in certain migrant populations.
Geographic distribution in some latin countries of cancers of the alimentary tract. A comparison of alimentary tract cancer incidence rates has been undertaken from the results of 5 latin cancer registries. The most striking features are the high incidence rates for gastric cancers in the provinces of Zaragoza and Piemont, for colorectal cancers in the canton of Geneva, and in the countries of Côte-d'Or and Bas-Rhin. Tumour localization in the large bowel differs significantly between Geneva and the French counties. The canton of Geneva has the highest rate for cancer of the pancreas, French countries for cancer of the oesophagus in males. Sex ratio for primary cancer of the liver differs considerably from one region to another.
In these days of rapid transit from continent to continent, and the increasing mobility of people, agents of disease are no longer geographically restricted. Disease contracted half way across the world may become manifest in a country in which the pathogen is not normally found. Thus knowledge of the geographical distribution of pathogens becomes increasingly important when a diagnosis is being made. This is as true of ringworm fungi as of any other group of microorganisms. In the last 12 years, in the Mycological Reference Laboratory, an increasing number of exotic dermatophytes have been seen, related in part at least to the great increase in the number of non-British residents. Not all species of dermatophytes are cosmopolitan in their distribution throughout the world. While some have been recorded from every continent, others have geographically limited areas of greater or lesser extent. Surveys taken at intervals in a country may show a rise and fall in occurrence of several species as habits change, populations move and medical facilities became increasingly well-distributed. There have been few geographical surveys of ringworm fungi that have covered the world. Ajello (1960, 1974) has reviewed the individual species with regard to geographical location, while Vanbreuseghem & de Vroey (1970) attempted to estimate the relative importance of the various species in terms of numbers of isolations reported. This paper therefore reviews the world dermatophyte flora in terms of the dominant agents in the various countries, and some of the changes that have been recorded.
An epidemiological study was conducted in Haut-Ogooué and Ogooué-Lolo, and included 875 men and 673 women. The purpose of this article is to precise the geographical distribution of the factors related to low fertility, and to verify the stability of the etiological relations according to the region, the place of residence and the ethny. Among men, hydroceles and epididym lesions are more frequent in Ogooué-Lolo, in small villages, and in forest areas. Microfilariae Loa-loa and D. perstans has the same distribution. In both regions and what ever the type of residence (town or village), the epididym lesions are more frequent in non fertile men, microfilariae is linked with genital lesions and is more seldom found in men who are the fathers of more than two children. Among women, leukorrheas, pelvic pains, and adnexal masses are related to low fertility, what ever the place of residence is.
Eight hundred and eighty cases of Burkitt's lymphoma recorded in the Cancer Registry, University College Hospital (U.C.H.) Ibadan during a fifteen-year period (1961-1975) were reviewed. The geographical locations ascertained represent 87 cities or towns. No case of Burkitt's lymphoma has been reported from areas above latitude 11 degrees north of the equator which are essentially desert areas. There is no explanation for the yearly and monthly variations in the number of cases reported. A case-detection programme probably will give a true picture of the geographical distribution of the disease including possible 'clustering of cases in space and time'.
The incidence of pseudocholinesterase (PCHE equals E.C. 3.1.1.8) variants in samples of 8 different population (total of 2218 individuals) is reported. Together with previously mentioned data from the literature, a general survey on the geographical distribution of PCHE isoenzymes is given. Possible reasons for present-day heterogeneity of their distribution are also discussed. Concerning the incidence of the C5 variant, it is pointed out that the validity of applying population genetic models depends upon the accuracy of the genetic basis.
A survey of peptic ulcer disease in Western Samoa is described. As compared with New Zealand experience, an unusually high prevalence of peptic ulceration is documented. A remarkable and significant variation in the geographic distribution of cases is reported. Regions of high prevalence were significantly associated with disease onset at an earlier age and with increased frequency of a family history of ulcer disease. It is concluded that this genetic predisposition is unlikely to sufficiently account for the regional localisation of cases observed and environmental causes are under study.
Nine hundred and forty-six strains of Salmonella weltevreden isolated in different states of India during 1958-1974 and 124 strains from Australia, Burma, Holland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam during 1953-1971 were phage-typed according to the phage-typing scheme described in the first part of this paper (Sood and Basu, 1977). The epidemiological incidence and geographical distribution of phage-types of Salmonella weltevreden were studied. All the phage-types were present in India, the predominant phage-types being b, d and i. Phage-type g was isolated exclusively from India. All the 14 strains from Hawaii belonged to phage-type i. Phage-type h was the most predominant phage-type in Vietnam. The 15 strains isolated from Papua New Guinea in 1965, which were supposed to have originated from a single source, belonged to 3 phage-types. Except these cultures all the available epidemiologically related strains were of uniform phage-types - a finding which establishes the epidemiological validity of the scheme.
1123 HBs antigens from silent carriers of different parts of Europe, Africa and Asia were subtyped and classed in the eight categories previously described: a1y(w1), a2yl(w2), a2(3)y(w3), a3y(w4), ayr, a2ld(w2), a3d(w4) and adr: We have showed that w can be subdivided into the system of a subdeterminants, but for the present time, we do not know if r is a fifth subdeterminant of a. Subtyping was performed by CIEP and by ID using antisera from guinea pigs and goats immunized with selected HBs antigens. With these 8 categories it is possible to greatly increase our knowledge about the geographical distribution of HBs antigen: in Africa six areas can be distinguished: North Africa with a predominance of a2ly(w2) (75%) and with none a3y(w4); areas between North and West Africa where a2ly(w2) and a3y(4) represent respectively 62.8% and 25.7%; West Africa with a great predominance of a3y(w4) (84.5%); Central Africa with less a3y(w4) (53.4%), appearance of a2ld(w2) (8.7%) and presence of a2ly(w2) (37%); East Africa appears to be especially a2ld(w) (only 3 sera from Burundi); South Africa with a great predominance of a2ld(w2) (86%) and with ay subtype represented by a2(3)y(w3), very exceptional in the other parts of Africa. In France, The Netherlands, Hungary, a2ld(w) subtype is predominant, respectively 73.3%, 74% and 63%, a2(3)y(w3) is the main ay subtype in France and the only one in The Netherlands whereas in Hungary the same amount of a2ly(w) and a2(3)(w) is encountered. In Rumania, Italy and Greece, a great predominance of ay subtype is found (80%): a2ly(w2) is predominant in Rumania (66%) and Italy (as in North Africa) whereas a weak predominance of a2(3)y(w3) over a2ly(w2) is found in Greece. In the Antilles, 75% of a2ld(w2) are encountered. In the Far East, a great predominance of adr is found in Laos, Japan and Thailand (100% and 84% respectively) but no adr is encountered in Vietnam where 8 a1y(w1) and 1 ayr are found of of 11 HBs sera. This a1y(w1) subtype has also been found, although infrequently, in some countries of Africa. Among French people who have lived in Africa, many examples are found which show that the HBs subtype is related to the country and does not seen to depend on the host. Among the French who have been contaminated in Indochina all are carriers of adr HBsAg and none exhibits an a1y(w1) subtype.
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The comparative geography of multiple sclerosis (MS) and nonneurological diseases considered to be autoimmune is of great interest. But there are few appropriate investigations. Some have found an increase in the frequency of MS, rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic heart disease depending on the geographic latitude. Nevertheless, the significance of the latitude effect as an indicator of a possible etiological relationship between MS and these conditions has been questioned. In this paper, the frequency of MS, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic heart disease and poststreptococcal nephritis is reported from Sardinia where appreciable differences in climatic and socioeconomic conditions exist. There was a positive correlation of the distribution of MS with the distribution of rheumatic heart disease and poststreptococcal nephritis. On the other hand, no correlation was found with the distribution of rheumatoid arthritis.
Using the much more sensitive hemagglutination inhibition assay for subtyping of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), we examined the determinants a, d, w and r in 192 from 228 HBsAg positive adults who had been found after screening with reversed passive hemagglutination method. Sixty-four subtypable cases were asymptomatic carriers and the remaining 128 were liver disease patients. Among them there was no significant difference of the subtypes, invariably with adw as the main subtype. Geographical difference was evident: adr was the main subtype (78 per cent) among the northern Chinese; while adw was dominant (76 per cent) among the southern Chinese with the Yangtze River as a boundary. Eight of the 18 adr-subtyped northern Chinese were born and live in Taiwan where 91 per cent of HBsAg positive Taiwanese were adw-subtyped. This was an indirect evidence that intra-familial spreading from parents played an important role in hepatitis B virus infection.
Beginning in 1973, all available laboratory and field strains of bluetongue virus (BTV) from the United States were serotyped. Of the viral strains serotyped, 27 were collected from 1953 through 1972; 173 were collected from 1973 through 1977. Although 20 BTV serotypes have been found worldwide, only BTV serotypes 10, 11, 13, and 17 have been found in the United States. Since 1973, serotypes 11 and 17 have been the prevalent serotypes. Samples were collected over a 24-year period in the United States and represent a wide geographic area and diverse host sources (sheep, cattle, wild ruminants, and insect vectors). The collection was not a statistical sampling.
Influenza viruses of the Hsw1N1 and H3N2 subtypes were isolated in Hong Kong from pigs originating from Hong Kong, People's Republic of China (PRC), Singapore, and Taiwan. The H3N2 isolates were from pigs from Hong Kong and PRC, whereas the Hsw1N1 isolates were from pigs from Hong Kong, PRC, Singapore and Taiwan. The hemagglutinins of the H3N2 isolates were similar to those of the earlier A/Hong Kong/1/68 and A/Port Chalmers/1/73 variants from man. The Hsw1N1 isolates were similar to the human A/New Jersey/8/76 virus. These studies extend the geographical range of Hsw1N1 influenza virus and suggest that pigs in southeast Asia, like those in North America, harbor Hsw1N1 influenza viruses. These findings underline the importance of pigs as potential reservoirs for future human pandemics by the continued isolation (in Asia) of H3N2 and Hsw1N1 influenza viruses.
Five thousand three hundred five World War II and Korean conflict veterans who have been compensated by the Veterans Administration for multiple sclerosis (MS) were matched to controls on the basis of age, date of entry into military service, and branch of service. Case/control ratios for white males, white females, and black males were 1.04, 1.86, and 0.45, respectively. The coterminous 48 states, divided into three tiers on the basis of latitude, exhibited the well-known north-south gradient in risk: For all races and both sexes, case/control ratios were 1.41, 1.00, and 0.53 for the North, Middle, and South tiers. Both white females and black males showed this same north-to-south variation in risk. The case/control ratio for males of races other than black or white was 0.23, with possible deficits in risk for American Indians and Japanese-Americans. Filipinos and Hawaiian Japanese were significantly low-risk groups. These findings suggest that both a racial and a possibly genetic predisposition, as well as a geographically determined differential exposure to an environmental agent, are related to the risk of MS.