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[
Immun Infekt,
1980]
The significance of tropical heminthiases for the populations of tropical countries is discussed and a survey on the incidence of these parasitic infections is given. The difference between infection and disease is explained, and the properties of an ideal drug for combatting the different diseases are described. After a short comment on the goals of the primary and secondary screening procedures the authors refer to WHO's Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. As to the different forms of filariasis, the most important problem is onchocerciasis due to the high rate of blindness. The existing drugs (suramin DEC) are evaluated, however, there is a need for a safe, macrofilaricidal drug. The chemotherapy of filariasis caused by W. bancrofti and B. malayi and the drugs used is also discussed. Thereafter, a survey on the chemotherapy of schistosomiasis and the drugs at hand and in development is given with special reference to praziquantel. Chemotherapy of opistorchiasis and clonorchiasis is still unsatisfactory. The problems arising from this situation are mentioned. Up to now, we have a similar situation in hydatid disease, caused by Echinococcus species. The therapy of choice is operation, however, in animal experiments it could be demonstrated that benzimidazole derivatives inhibit the growth of cysts what indicates the possibility of chemotherapy in man also. Finally, a survey is given on anthelminthic drugs for the therapy of different forms of intestinal helminthiasis with special regard to ancylostomiasis.
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[
Ann Parasitol Hum Comp
]
This study reports the clinical, ophtalmological and parasitological examination for onchocerciasis in 4 882 people, living in 23 villages located in 8 different areas of west Africa. The disease is hyperendemic in the whole sample and no major differences occur when comparing the indices of Onchocerca volvulus infection. However, all the complications (eye, skin and lymph node lesions) are less common in the four forest clusters than in to the four savanna clusters. The disease seems to be relatively well tolerated in areas where transmission of Onchocerca volvulus is carried out by Simulium species other than S. damnosum s.s. and S. sirbanum. The striking epidemiological differences of onchocerciasis is probably associated with several vector-parasite complexes, which may indicate the existence of different strains of O. volvulus.
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Parkinson J, Blaxter ML, Mitreva M, Barrell B, McCarter JP, Daub J, Waterston RH, Hall N, Schmid R, Whitton C, Thomson M, Martin J
[
Nat Genet,
2020]
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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Cutler SR, Yeo M, Zhang Y, Musso G, Bagg R, Schertzberg M, Glavin J, Tyers M, McQuibban GA, Stasiuk S, Rajendran L, Caffrey CR, MacRae CA, Redman E, Fraser AG, Giaever G, Hunter R, Burns AR, Gilleard J, Nislow C, Luciani GM, Roy PJ
[
Nat Commun,
2020]
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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[
Ann Parasitol Hum Comp
]
In lactating females of many animal species infested by Nematoda, the self-cure is, if not suppressed, at least very distinctly delayed. It does not appear that an immunological deficiency is the cause of this. We show that this phenomenon also exists in lactating female rats with Strongyloides ratti parasites. In fact, for Strongyloides ratti, the maintenance of the worms is not the only notable modification determined by lactation; much more important is the decrease in the intensity of the parasitism. This aspect is not mentioned by writers who have only studied the different parasitic states in their final phase. Parallel to these alterations in the parasitism, the evolution of the corticosteronemy differs, from two points of view, from that described in infested virgin rats: --Suppression of the hypercorticosteronemy which normally appears 48 hours after infestation; --Attenuation of the hypocorticosteronemy which usually sets in from the tenth day of infestation. This opposition of lactation to the variations in the corticosteronemy induced by the worms is explained by the effect of lactation on the secretion of gluco-cortico-steroids, described under the term of "buffer effect of lactation". The decrease in the intensity of the parasitism may be explained by the fact that lactation, by preventing the hypercorticosteronemy normally caused by larval migration, permits the intervention of aspecific defences. As for the prolongation of the parasitism, it would seem to result on one hand, from a reduced solicitation of the means of defence owing to a smaller number of worms and, on another hand, from the slowing down of the hypocorticosteronemy through the buffer effect of lactation with all the consequences flowing from this at the level of the specific and aspecific defence reactions.
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[
Ann Parasitol Hum Comp,
1981]
A phylogenetic tree and a dichotomic key to the species in the genus Onchocerca are proposed. The origin and principal evolution have taken place in Africa where the most primitive species (O. railieti in the donkey) and the greatest number of species (half of the 24 representatives of the genus) occur. This evolution apparently took place in a relatively recent geological period, corresponding perhaps to the establishment of the Equidae in Africa during the Pleistocene. The species in humans, O. volvulus, belongs to a small line of Onchocerca in Africa Bovidae of the Savanna which is morphologically highly evolved (musculature atrophied and hypodermis hypertrophied in the female, intranodular location). O. volvulus appears to be a parasite which is still not well adapted to man (microfilariae not well tolerated).
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[
Acta Histochem,
1978]
In 15 species of nematodes and 3 species of insects an activity of peroxidase was proofed histochemically in various organs and cells using the benzidine-method.
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[
Sci Rep,
2019]
A correction has been published and is appended to both the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.