Netherlands Society for Parasitology. Combined session with the BION Working Group on Parasitology, Utrecht, October 13th, 1978.
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The development of parasitology in the GDR is described. In the GDR there are only 2 chairs of Parasitology in the Faculties of Animal Production and Veterinary Medicine at Humboldt University Berlin and Karl Marx University Leipzig. Parasitology as a teaching field in its own was not become realized in medicine. In the training of zoology parasitology had been recognized only temporarily. For the parasitological practice particular parasitological departments or laboratories developed in each district institute, which are leaded and coordinated by reference laboratories--a state that is an important improvement compared with the situation before the war. The publishing efforts of GDR's authors and publishing houses as well as the mobilizing role of the Parasitological Society of the GDR are especially stressed.
Parasitological investigations carried out on 324 subjects of symptomatic and asymptomatic amoebiasis showed that formol-ether concentration was a superior technique than examination of 3 consecutive stool specimens by direct microscopy in cases of colitis, hepatitis and cyst passers. Culture of pus yielded better results than the other techniques for examination of stool in cases of liver abscess. Indirect haemagglutination test carried out with 238 sera from cases confirmed to be either positive or negative for Entamoeba histolytica revealed good correlation of its results with parasitological investigations in cases of dysentery and hepatitis. This test proved to be much superior to parasitological investigations in diagnosis of liver abscess. A close correlation between the results of gel-diffusion and I.H.A. was observed in dysentery and liver abscess groups, although I.H.A. was more sensitive. Precipitin band appeared in gel-diffusion test only when the I.H.A. titre was 1: 486 and the number of bands increased with rise in the titre.
A quality control in parasitology has been organized since 1977, under the direction of the Exotic Pathology Society. In 1978, more than 1 200 voluntary laboratories were participating. In 1979, according to the law of the eleventh of July 1975, this control is going to be obligatory for the 3 750 public or private laboratories effecting parasitologic tests. That should improve the quality of these tests, outside any repressive aspect.
Traditional Chinese anthelmintics prove to be interesting because social, political, cultural, psychological and philosophical factors could affect them. A review of the ideas on the origin of parasitic infection and the historical development of medical parasitology in China is attempted to aid in the elucidation of the rationale of traditional Chinese anthelminthic treatment.
The author has been a medical doctor and parasitologist over some years in different West-African countries. Based on his personal experience he underlines the special methodological conditions as well for the diagnoser as for the collector of parasitological documenting material. In this respect, the climatological factors have to be regarded as well as sociological and religious situations.
This paper proposes and outlines a new interdiscipline, 'behavioral parasitology,' and presents some interpretations in one of the leading themes of this field, miracidial chemosensitivity to snails. Controversies over miracidial attraction and species-specificity are considered from the standpoints of the distinction between taxis and kinesis, the need for a stimulus gradient, and the possibility of an early phase in a miracidium's behavior adapted for dispersal rather than host-finding. Some of the many possible organic stimulants are discussed with regard to quantitative production by snails, sensory thresholds of the parasites, and possible interaction with inorganic ions. Organic and inorganic stimulants are considered to possibly form qualitative as well as quantitative gradients. A thermodynamic interpretation of miracidial klinokinesis as a function of stimulant concentration suggests the existence of two or more separate types of receptors for the same stimulant, one with a higher affinity for the stimulant and mediating a weaker klinokinesis (possibly a long-range receptor as compared to the other.
Although the prevalence of parasites has decreased in some areas, no parasite has been eliminated, and the current literature indicates that parasitic diseases continue as a major cause of morbidity. In addition to endemic forms, imported parasitic diseases are being seen more frequently because of increased world travel and immigration. The high infection rates of intestinal helminths and protozoa being found in this country suggest the public is at risk of acquiring a parasitic disease. This report reviews the status of medical parasitology relative to laboratory methods and parasites prevalent in the United States.
A parasitology surevy was conducted among inhabitants of 7 villages in 3 regencies in South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. A total of 2,169 stool specimens, 2,756 blood smears and 1,027 serum specimens were obtained, representing samples from approximately 10%, 12% and 5% of the population, respectively. One to 8 different intestinal parasitic infections were detected in 97% of the people. Those parasites most frequently found were Trichuris trichiura (83%), Ascaris lumbricoides (79%), and hookworm (65%), followed by Entamoeba coli (37%), Endolimaxnana (12%), Entamoeba histolytica (12%), Iodamoeba bütschlii (11%), Giardia lamblia (5%), Entamoeba hartmanni (2%), Chilomastix mesnili (2%). Other parasites found were Enterobius vermicularis, Strongyloides stercoralis, Capillaria sp., Echinostoma sp., Hymenolepis diminuta, and Trichomonas hominis. Giardia lamblia was found more often in younger people and Entamoeba coli, Iodamoeba bütschlii and hookworm in the older age group. Ascaris lumbricoides occurred more frequently in females, and hookworm in males. Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum were found in the blood smears of 4.4% of the people, mostly in the younger age groups. Seroepidemiological studies on amoebiasis were done by use of the indirect hemagglutination test with antigens prepared from the HK9 strain of Entamoeba histolytica maintained in axenic cultures. The frequency distribution of the reciprocal antibody titers showed a bimodal distribution with 34% of the population demonstrating positive reactions at titers of 1:128 or greater.
Vavoua human trypanosomiasis focus, located 60 km north of Daloa (Ivory Coast Republic) is facing a period of hyperactivity. A medical survey has been conducted in 9 villages of this focus: 7.424 persons have been examined and 128 new cases diagnosed in the field after clinical and parasitological examinations. Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test applied to dried blood blots, in the laboratory, revealed 266 immunological suspects to be reexamined. 185 suspects were reexamined, 104 of whom were diagnosed after tyrpanosomes had been found in blood or/and in gland juice. The microhaematocrit centrifuge technique gave good results. Most of the 232 new cases were in the classical first period (unaltered CSF). Authors are insisting on the importance of survey prospections allowing an early diagnosis of sleeping sickness and on the interest of an immunodiagnostic test in addition to classical techniques to diagnose asymptomatical forms.
The authors have recently preconised systematic treatment of every human being who is fluorescent positive. The evolution of antibodies of 26 subjects parasitologically negative and positive only in FAT test is described here after treatment with Arsobal. Statistically the antibodies decrease progressively like antibodies of Sleeping Sickness patients of first period usually did. Therefore it is possible to conclude that immunological suspects who were treated were realy sick and rightly cured.
Review of participant performance in the Special Parasitology Survey of the College of American Pathologists for the years 1973-1977 shows that laboratories are generally able to identify helminth eggs and larvae in formalin-fixed fecal material but have difficulty identifying protozoa in formalin-fixed fecal material and in permanently stained slides. Ability to identify some protozoa has improved during the period reviewed. Well-trained personnel and access to reference materials should lead to improved performance.
This study was conducted on 252 childrens afflicted with Schistosomiasis (S. mansoni and S. haematobium) living in endemic area and treated with doses of 15 mg/kg to 60 mg/kg of Oxamniquine. During eight months, parasitologic and serologic (Indirect fluorescent antibody test) controls were continued. A single per os dose of 15 mg/kg appears best and 87% cure rates were obtained with only 12% reinfestation. Antibody studies indicate, at this dosage, an antigenic stimulation that lasts at least 8 months, thus conferring a "vaccinating" action possible to be used with large population groups. Further studies show acceptable tolerance clinically of Oxamniquine and its ineffectiveness against S. haematobium. As mentioned by others, it appears that Oxamniquine has usefulness in treatment of schistosomiasis due to S. mansoni.
The speaker commented on the chief problems of parasitology found in Italian fresh water fish farms (troutfarming) and warm water pond farms (eel-, catfish-, cyprinids-, lagoo-fishfarmings). He discussed the most common fish losses connected in Italy with the diseases due to protozoans, worms, and crustaceans. The not yet solved and serious uncertainities which need priority in the research are, according to the speaker, the control of the amebiasis of hatchery rainbow trout, the incysted icthyophtiriasis of various fresh water fishes, the rainbow trout myxosomiasis (Whirling disease), and the argulosis of eel reared in brackish water lagoons. He concluded by emphasizing the need of a larger interest by Italian scientists on parasitic diseases of farmed fish. Without knowing and controlling them, it will be hard to program viable acquaculture industries.
In order to be able to compare in time and space the results of onchocerciasis surveys in West Africa, the authors suggest to standardize the methodology of these surveys. The following points are defined : criteria to choose the villages, selection of population specimen, registration of socio-demographic data, clinical examination, assessment of visual acuity, parasitological examination founded on two quantitative bloodless cutaneous biopsies, definition of epidemiologic indices, adjustement of these indices to a standard population, synthesis of results by age-group and sex on the one hand by the presentation of frequency distribution of cutaneous microfilarial densities, on the other hand by calculation of geometric means of these densities.
The different methods used for the parasitological diagnosis of onchocerciasis are compared to test their reliability, sensitivity and practicability under field conditions in the Sudan-Savanna area. Two skin snips taken from both iliac crests with a sclerocorneal punch give the best results during large scale field surveys. The incubation of biopsies in normal saline solution is the most sensitive technique and the results may be further improved by filtration on millipore filter-paper and collagenase digestion. However, counting microfilariae emerged after 30 minutes in distilled water is the easiest method and gives a reasonably good reliability for comparison of the results in space and time. The lack of sensitivity can be compensated for by incubation of the negative specimen during 24 hours in saline solution.