BACKGROUND Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite with worldwide distribution. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection by antigen detection in faeces among immunocompromised patients referred to educational hospitals of Ahvaz City, South-West of Iran, 2009-2010. METHODS Fecal samples from 176 immunocompromised patients were collected and Cryptosporid...

The present study represents the first report on the gastrointestinal endoparasite fauna of a free-ranging "urban" colony of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) living within the city of Valdivia, Chile. A total of 40 individual faecal samples of South American sea lions were collected during the year 2012 within their natural habitat along the river Calle-Calle and in the local fish m...

It is known that fecal examination to detect Giardia lamblia cysts or trophozoites produces a high percentage of false-negative results. A commercially available immunoenzymatic assay (ProSpecT Giardia Microplate Assay, Alexon, Inc., BIOBRAS) to detect G. lamblia specific coproantigen was evaluated for the first time in Brazil. A total of 90 specimens were tested. Each specimen was first tested...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology and clinical significance of Cryptosporidium in patients with diarrhea and chronic liver diseases. METHODOLOGY The study included 150 patients with chronic liver diseases and diarrhea, and 50 subjects with diarrhea as a control group. Stool samples were screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium by microscopic examination a...

Taeniasis due to Taenia solium is a disease with important public health consequences, since the larval stage is not exclusive to the animal intermediate, the pig, but also infects humans, causing neurocysticercosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of T. solium tapeworm carriers is important to prevent human cysticercosis. Current diagnosis based on microscopic observation of eggs lacks both sens...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of three strategies for the control of taeniasis in a community, in terms of cost per case treated. METHODS A study was conducted in South India to determine the prevalence of taeniasis by screening stool samples from 653 randomly chosen subjects, for coproantigens. The costs incurred in the project were used to estimate the cost per case screened ...

It has been reported that three human Taenia species are distributed in Indonesia: Taenia solium, Taenia asiatica and Taenia saginata. T. asiatica is well known in North Sumatra, especially on Samosir island in Lake Toba. T. solium and T. saginata are known from Bali. T. solium is most serious public health issue in Papua (former Irian Jaya). In this report, we briefly review the present situat...

BACKGROUND Canines, the definitive hosts for the parasites causing alveolar (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE), are the main source of this infections playing the key role in the transmission. The ten-year mortality rate of AE is extremely high (94%) if the patients are not given sustained treatment. The aim of this field study is to explore the possibility of delivery of praziquantel-laced ba...

In this article the effects of an education programme (area II) on transmission of Echinococcus granulosus from dogs to sheep in Wales and of substitution of the education programme by a 6-weekly anthelmintic control programme (area I) are compared with the situation in an area where no control interventions had occurred (area III). The education programme failed to prevent transmission of E. g...