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Cluster of Cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Alberta, Canada
Pages: 914–918More LessIn May 2005, a cluster of four hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases was confirmed in Alberta, Canada. The cluster is unusual given that three cases were from a single family and involved a 7-year-old child. This is the first family cluster reported in Canada and includes one of the youngest cases of HPS reported in North America.
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COINCIDENT FILARIAL, INTESTINAL HELMINTH, AND MYCOBACTERIAL INFECTION: HELMINTHS FAIL TO INFLUENCE TUBERCULIN REACTIVITY, BUT BCG INFLUENCES HOOKWORM PREVALENCE
Pages: 841–847More LessThe prevalence of helminth and tuberculosis infections is high in South India, whereas Bacille-Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine efficacy is low. Our aim was to determine whether concurrent helminth infection alters the ability to mount a delayed-type hypersensitivity response to tuberculin. In a cross-sectional study in southern India, individuals 6–65 years of age were screened for intestinal helminths, circulating filarial antigenemia, tuberculin reactivity, active tuberculosis, and history of BCG vaccination; 54% were purified protein derivative (PPD) positive, 32% had intestinal helminth infection, 9% were circulating filarial antigen positive, and 0.5% had culture-confirmed active tuberculosis. Only age and BCG vaccination were significantly associated with PPD reactivity; however, BCG vaccination was associated with a lower prevalence of hookworm infection relative to those without prior BCG vaccination. Neither intestinal helminth infection nor filarial infection was associated with diminished frequencies of PPD positivity. Our findings suggest that preceding helminth infection does not influence significantly the delayed-type hypersensitivity response to tuberculin.
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Correlations between intestinal parasitosis, physical growth, and psychomotor development among infants and children from rural Nicaragua.
Pages: 470–475More LessThe correlations between malnutrition, parasitosis (especially helminth infections), and child development are complex, and studies of these interrelationships will allow health agencies to maximize screening and intervention strategies for developing countries. We examined these correlations in a cross-sectional program in Carazo State, Nicaragua. Nine hundred sixty-one children in two age strata (ages 0-24 months and ages 2-10 years) from one urban and three rural communities were screened for intestinal parasites (direct smear and ZnSO4 flotation), malnutrition, and developmental delays. Nutritional status was determined as weight-for-age (WFA), weight-for-height (WFH), and height-for-age (HFA). Developmental status (normal, suspect) was determined for the four subtests of the Denver II Screening Test. The prevalence of malnutrition was 14.6% (WFA), 8.4% (WFH), and 36.3% (HFA). Parasitosis was more prevalent in children less than 24 months of age with low HFA, whereas in older children low WFA was more closely associated with parasitic infections. Ascaris and Trichuris were more prevalent in malnourished children. On the Denver II, suspect test results in all four categories (language, social, gross motor, and fine motor) were associated with low WFA, and suspect language tests were associated with both intestinal parasites (P = 0.0003) and Ascaris infection in particular (P = 0.044). Developmental disabilities are a significant and frequently undetected health problem in developing countries, and malnutrition associated with intestinal helminth infections may be an important contributory factor for these disabilities.
Studies of the correlations between malnutrition, parasitosis, and child development will help health agencies to maximize screening and intervention strategies for developing countries. Such correlations were examined in a cross-sectional study in Carazo State, Nicaragua. 961 children aged 0-24 months and 2-10 years from 1 urban and 3 rural communities were screened for infection with intestinal parasites, malnutrition, and developmental delays. Developmental status was determined for the 4 subtests of the Denver II Screening Test. The prevalence of malnutrition was 14.6% according to weight-for-age (WFA), 8.4% for weight-for-height (WFH), and 36.3% for height-for-age (HFA). Parasitosis was more prevalent among children under age 2 years with low HFA, while low WFA was more closely associated with parasitic infections in older children. Ascaris and Trichuris were more prevalent in malnourished children. On the Denver II, suspect test results in language, social, gross motor, and fine motor were associated with low WFA, while suspect language tests were associated with both intestinal parasites, and Ascaris infection in particular. Developmental disabilities are a significant and often undetected health problem in developing countries. Malnutrition associated with intestinal helminth infections may be an important contributory factor for such disabilities.
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