A disproportionate burden of helminthiases in human populations occurs in marginalised, low-income, and resource-constrained regions of the world, with over 1 billion people in developing areas of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas infected with one or more helminth species. The morbidity caused by such infections imposes a substantial burden of disease, contributing to a vicious circle...

In this issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4) has put forward a collection of eight reviews that, taken together, outline a compelling research and development agenda for the control and elimination of helminth diseases of humans (http://www.ploscollections. org/helminths; [1–8]). Emphasis is placed on six major helminth infections:...

Prevalence of infection with the intestinal helminths, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Ancylostoma duodenale and Strongyloides stercoralis was examined in 632 residents of communities in Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador. These communities were divided into two groups according to area of habitation which reflected different socioeconomic circumstances. Attempts were made to correlate i...

Intestinal helminths and schistosomiasis among school children were investigated in an urban and some rural communities of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. Fecal samples of 1,059 subjects (524 males, 535 females) aged 3-18 years were examined using direct smear and brine concentration methods between June 2005 and November 2006. The pooled prevalence of infection was 66.2%. Ascaris lumbricoides s...

A study to establish the prevalence of intestinal helminthiases among schoolchildren of riverine communities in the Ilaje-Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria was conducted. Ninety-four percent of the children studied were infected with intestinal helminths. Trichuris trichiura infection was the commonest (84%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (75.3 %) and hookworm (7.6 %). Dua...

A. lumbricoides is the largest of the common nematode parasites of man and has been associated with intestinal pathology, respiratory symptoms and malnutrition in children from endemic areas. Current anthelmintic treatments have proven to be safe. However, a reduced efficacy of single dose drugs has been reported. In veterinary practice, anthelmintic drug resistance is an irreversible problem. ...

We investigated the sero-prevalence of toxocariasis among healthy Korean adults in 1999. A total of 314 sera from normal inhabitants in Whachon-gun, Gangwondo, Korea was examined for specific antibody levels against excretory-secretory products of second stage larvae of Toxocara (TES). The presence of cross-reactions with other helminthiases such as cysticercosis, paragonimiasis, sparganosis or...

Different periodic selective chemotherapeutic schemes were used to control hookworm and other soil-transmitted helminthiases in eight villages in five counties in Zhejiang Province, China, 1985-1988. The results showed that the prevalence rates of hookworm, ascariasis, and trichuriasis decreased from 35.0-74.4%, 47.0-.76% and 22.9-47.5% to 3.2-15.8%, 9.9-47.8%, and 3.5-31.2%, respectively, usin...