1
|
Francis S, Frank C, Buchanan L, Green S, Stennett-Brown R, Gordon-Strachan G, Rubio-Palis Y, Grant C, Alexander-Lindo RL, Nwokocha C, Robinson D, Delgoda R. Challenges in the control of neglected insect vector diseases of human importance in the Anglo-Caribbean. One Health 2021; 13:100316. [PMID: 34485673 PMCID: PMC8405964 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in developing countries like the Caribbean, negatively affect multiple income-generating sectors, including the tourism industry upon which island states are highly dependent. Insect-transmitted NTDs include, but are not limited to, malaria, dengue and lymphatic filariasis. Control measures for these disease, are often ignored because of the associated cost. Many of the developing country members are thus retained in a financially crippling cycle, balancing the cost of prophylactic measures with that of controlling an outbreak.The purpose of the paper is to bring awareness to NTDs transmitted by insects of importance to humans, and to assess factors affecting such control, in the English-speaking Caribbean. METHOD Comprehensive literature review on reports pertaining to NTDs transmitted by insects in the Caribbean and Latin America was conducted. Data search was carried out on PubMed, and WHO and PAHO websites. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Potential risk factors for NTDs transmitted by arthropods in the English-speaking Caribbean are summarised. The mosquito appears to be the main insect-vector of human importance within the region of concern. Arthropod-vectors of diseases of veterinary importance are also relevant because they affect the livelihood of farmers, in highly agriculture based economies. Other NTDs may also be in circulation gauged by the presence of antibodies in Caribbean individuals. However, routine diagnostic tests for specific diseases are expensive and tests may not be conducted when diseases are not prevalent in the population. It appears that only a few English-speaking Caribbean countries have examined secondary reservoirs of pathogens or assessed the effectivity of their insect control methods. As such, disease risk assessment appears incomplete. Although continuous control is financially demanding, an integrated and multisectoral approach might help to deflect the cost. Such interventions are now being promoted by health agencies within the region and various countries are creating and exploring the use of novel tools to be incorporated in their insect-vector control programmes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheena Francis
- Natural Products Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Chelsea Frank
- Natural Products Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Luke Buchanan
- Mona Geoinformatics Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
| | - Sean Green
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
| | - Roxann Stennett-Brown
- Department of Physics, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Georgiana Gordon-Strachan
- Caribbean Institute for Health Research, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Yasmin Rubio-Palis
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, sede Aragua, Universidad de Carabobo, Maracay, Venezuela
| | - Charles Grant
- International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Ruby Lisa Alexander-Lindo
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Chukwuemeka Nwokocha
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Dwight Robinson
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| | - Rupika Delgoda
- Natural Products Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
- Mosquito Control Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Palmieri JR, Meacham SL, Warehime J, Stokes SA, Ogle J, Leto D, Bax M, Dauer AM, Lozovski JM. Relationships between the weaning period and the introduction of complementary foods in the transmission of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in children in Honduras. Res Rep Trop Med 2018; 9:113-122. [PMID: 30890874 PMCID: PMC6065550 DOI: 10.2147/rrtm.s160388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was to investigate weaning practices used by mothers when transitioning infants from breast milk to complementary foods and to determine the role these foods have in the transmission of gastrointestinal parasites. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS On average, of the 175 mothers extensively interviewed, 93% said they had breast-fed their infants. Approximately 20.8% of mothers had added some other liquid to their infant's diet at 3 months, while most mothers had added other liquids at 6 months (39.0%) and >6 months (32.1%). Some mothers expanded food offerings to infants before 3 months. The percentage of mothers who had added other liquids to their infants' diet was reported by age of the infant: as early as 1 day (2.5%), <1 week (1.9%), first month (3.1%), 3 months (20.8%), 6 months (39.0%), and >6 months (32.1%). These foods included fruit, vegetables, meat, and grains. The maximum age a child was found to be still breastfeeding was 13 years. RESULTS Forty percent of mothers involved in this survey reported that their children were diagnosed and/or treated for gastrointestinal parasitic infection. Routes of infection of protozoan and helminth parasites likely resulted from contaminated complementary foods and water given to infants while still breast-feeding or from contaminated foods after breast-feeding had been completed. Contaminated water is a likely source of protozoan parasites. Contaminated water was fed to infants, mixed with formula or complementary foods, or used to wash bottles for infant feeding. There was an absence of hand-washing by children and mothers before eating or while preparing foods. CONCLUSION The major source of soil-transmitted helminth infections was likely the result of unwashed or uncooked pureed fruit or vegetables used as complementary foods, unpasteurized animal milk, insanitary food storage, poor living conditions with exposed dirt floors, and exposure to roaming domestic animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan L Meacham
- Department of Preventative Medicine and Public Health, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | | | | | - Janie Ogle
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
| | | | - Maggie Bax
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Snakebite envenomation in the Caribbean: The role of medical and scientific cooperation. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006441. [PMID: 30001319 PMCID: PMC6042683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
|
4
|
Schuster A, Thielecke M, Raharimanga V, Ramarokoto CE, Rogier C, Krantz I, Feldmeier H. High-resolution infrared thermography: a new tool to assess tungiasis-associated inflammation of the skin. Trop Med Health 2017; 45:23. [PMID: 28919835 PMCID: PMC5599887 DOI: 10.1186/s41182-017-0062-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tungiasis is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries but remains often under diagnosed and untreated eventually leading to chronic sequels. The objective of the study was to assess whether tungiasis-associated inflammation can be detected and quantified by high-resolution infrared thermography (HRIT) and whether after removal of the parasite inflammation resolves rapidly. METHODS Patients with tungiasis were identified through active case finding. Clinical examination, staging, and thermal imaging as well as conventional photography were performed. In exemplary cases, the embedded sandfly was extracted and regression of inflammation was assessed by thermal imaging 4 days after extraction. RESULTS The median perilesional temperature was significantly higher than the median temperature of the affected foot (rho = 0.480, p = 0.003). Median perilesional temperature measured by high-resolution infrared thermography was positively associated with the degree of pain (rho = 0.395, p < 0.017) and semi-quantitative scores for acute (rho = 0.380, p < 0.022) and chronic (rho = 0.337, p < 0.044) clinical pathology. Four days after surgical extraction, inflammation and hyperthermia of the affected area regressed significantly (rho = 0.457, p = 0.005). In single cases, when clinical examination was difficult, lesions were identified through HRIT. CONCLUSION We proved that HRIT is a useful tool to assess tungiasis-associated morbidity as well as regression of clinical pathology after treatment. Additionally, HRIT might help to diagnose hidden and atypical manifestations of tungiasis. Our findings, although still preliminary, suggest that HRIT could be used for a range of infectious skin diseases prevalent in the tropics. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN11415557, Registration date: 13 July 2011.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angela Schuster
- Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Clinical Sciences Department, Institute for Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marlene Thielecke
- Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Ingela Krantz
- Skaraborg Institute of Research and Development, Skövde, Sweden
| | - Hermann Feldmeier
- Institute for Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cimino RO, Jeun R, Juarez M, Cajal PS, Vargas P, Echazú A, Bryan PE, Nasser J, Krolewiecki A, Mejia R. Identification of human intestinal parasites affecting an asymptomatic peri-urban Argentinian population using multi-parallel quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:380. [PMID: 26183074 PMCID: PMC4504406 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0994-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In resource-limited countries, stool microscopy is the diagnostic test of choice for intestinal parasites (soil-transmitted helminths and/or intestinal protozoa). However, sensitivity and specificity is low. Improved diagnosis of intestinal parasites is especially important for accurate measurements of prevalence and intensity of infections in endemic areas. Methods The study was carried out in Orán, Argentina. A total of 99 stool samples from a local surveillance campaign were analyzed by concentration microscopy and McMaster egg counting technique compared to the analysis by multi-parallel quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). This study compared the performance of qPCR assay and stool microscopy for 8 common intestinal parasites that infect humans including the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura, and the protozoa Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum/hominis, and Entamoeba histolytica, and investigated the prevalence of polyparasitism in an endemic area. Results qPCR showed higher detection rates for all parasites as compared to stool microscopy except T. trichiura. Species-specific primers and probes were able to distinguish between A. duodenale (19.1 %) and N. americanus (36.4 %) infections. There were 48.6 % of subjects co-infected with both hookworms, and a significant increase in hookworm DNA for A. duodenale versus N. americanus (119.6 fg/μL: 0.63 fg/μL, P < 0.001) respectively. qPCR outperformed microscopy by the largest margin in G. lamblia infections (63.6 % versus 8.1 %, P < 0.05). Polyparasitism was detected more often by qPCR compared to microscopy (64.7 % versus 24.2 %, P < 0.05). Conclusions Multi-parallel qPCR is a quantitative molecular diagnostic method for common intestinal parasites in an endemic area that has improved diagnostic accuracy compared to stool microscopy. This first time use of multi-parallel qPCR in Argentina has demonstrated the high prevalence of intestinal parasites in a peri-urban area. These results will contribute to more accurate epidemiological survey, refined treatment strategies on a public scale, and better health outcomes in endemic settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rubén O Cimino
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina. .,Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Oran, Argentina.
| | - Rebecca Jeun
- National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Marisa Juarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina. .,Fundación Mundo Sano, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Pamela S Cajal
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina.
| | - Paola Vargas
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina.
| | - Adriana Echazú
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina.
| | - Patricia E Bryan
- National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Julio Nasser
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina. .,Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Oran, Argentina.
| | - Alejandro Krolewiecki
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales - Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Oran, Argentina.
| | - Rojelio Mejia
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Oran, Argentina. .,National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Childers KAG, Palmieri JR, Sampson M, Brunet D. Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in children from Verón, a rural city of the Dominican Republic. Res Rep Trop Med 2014; 5:45-53. [PMID: 32669891 PMCID: PMC7337153 DOI: 10.2147/rrtm.s64948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal infections impose a great and often silent burden of morbidity and mortality on poor populations in developing countries. The Dominican Republic (DR) is a nation on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea. Verón is located in La Alta Grácia province in the southeastern corner of the DR. Dominican and Haitian migrant workers come to Verón to work in Punta Cana, a tourist resort area. Few definitive or comprehensive studies of the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections have been published in the DR. Historically, most of the definitive studies of water-borne or soil-transmitted parasites in the DR were published more than 30 years ago. Presently, there is a high prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections throughout the poorest areas of the DR and Haiti. In this study we report the prevalence of gastrointestinal protozoan and helminth parasites from children recruited from the Clínica Rural de Verón during 2008 through 2011. Each participant was asked to provide a fecal sample which was promptly examined microscopically for protozoan and helminth parasites using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fecal flotation technique to concentrate and isolate helminth ova and protozoan cysts. Of the 128 fecal samples examined, 127 were positive for one or more parasites. The age of the infected children ranged from 2–15 years; 61 were males and 66 were females. The only uninfected child was a 9 year old female. Percent infection rates were 43.8% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 8.5% for Enterobius vermicularis, 21.1% for Entamoeba histolytica, and 22.7% for Giardia duodenalis. Of the children examined, 7.8% had double infections. Any plan of action to reduce gastrointestinal parasites in children will require a determined effort between international, national, and local health authorities combined with improved education of schools, child care providers, food handlers, and agricultural workers. A special effort must be made to reach out to both documented and undocumented immigrants working or living in the area and to pre-school aged children or those who are not part of the public education system. Lastly, it is important to address the microbial water quality and food preparation, especially during the weaning transition to solid foods and throughout childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin A Geers Childers
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Emerging Diseases, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James R Palmieri
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Emerging Diseases, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Mindy Sampson
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Emerging Diseases, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Danielle Brunet
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Emerging Diseases, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
|
8
|
Harhay MO, Horton J, Olliaro PL. Epidemiology and control of human gastrointestinal parasites in children. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2010; 8:219-34. [PMID: 20109051 PMCID: PMC2851163 DOI: 10.1586/eri.09.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Parasites found in the human gastrointestinal tract can be largely categorized into two groups, protozoa and helminths. The soil-transmitted helminths (Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm and Trichuris trichiura) are the most prevalent, infecting an estimated one-sixth of the global population. Infection rates are highest in children living in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Asia and then Latin America and the Caribbean. The current momentum towards global drug delivery for their control is at a historical high through the efforts of numerous initiatives increasingly acting in coordination with donors, governments and local communities. Together, they have delivered enormous quantities of drugs, especially anthelmintics to children through nationwide annual or biannual mass drug administration largely coordinated through schools. However, a much larger and rapidly growing childhood population in these regions remains untreated and suffering from more than one parasite. Mass drug administration has profound potential for control but is not without considerable challenges and concerns. A principal barrier is funding. Stimulating a research and development pipeline, supporting the necessary clinical trials to refine treatment, in addition to procuring and deploying drugs (and sustaining these supply chains), requires substantial funding and resources that do not presently exist. Limited options for chemotherapy raise concerns about drug resistance developing through overuse, however, satisfactory pharmaco-epidemiology and monitoring for drug resistance requires more developed health infrastructures than are generally available. Further, the limited pharmacopeia does not include any effective second-line options if resistance emerges, and the research and development pipeline is severely depressed. Herein, we discuss the major gastrointestinal protozoa and helminths reviewing their impact on child health, changing epidemiology and how this relates to their control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael O Harhay
- Graduate Group in Demography, Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, 239 McNeil Building, 3718 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-16298, USA, Tel.: +1 215 898 6441, Fax: +1 215 898 2124,
| | - John Horton
- 24 The Paddock, Hitchin, SG4 9EF, UK, Tel.: +44 146 262 4081, Fax: +44 146 264 8693,
| | - Piero L Olliaro
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford & United Nations Children’s Fund/United Nations Development Programme/World Bank/World Health Organization, Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland, Tel.: +41 227 913 734, Fax: +41 227 914 774,
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
Hotez PJ, Bottazzi ME, Franco-Paredes C, Ault SK, Periago MR. The neglected tropical diseases of Latin America and the Caribbean: a review of disease burden and distribution and a roadmap for control and elimination. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2008; 2:e300. [PMID: 18820747 PMCID: PMC2553488 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 449] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent some of the most common infections of the poorest people living in the Latin American and Caribbean region (LAC). Because they primarily afflict the disenfranchised poor as well as selected indigenous populations and people of African descent, the NTDs in LAC are largely forgotten diseases even though their collective disease burden may exceed better known conditions such as of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria. Based on their prevalence and healthy life years lost from disability, hookworm infection, other soil-transmitted helminth infections, and Chagas disease are the most important NTDs in LAC, followed by dengue, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, trachoma, leprosy, and lymphatic filariasis. On the other hand, for some important NTDs, such as leptospirosis and cysticercosis, complete disease burden estimates are not available. The NTDs in LAC geographically concentrate in 11 different sub-regions, each with a distinctive human and environmental ecology. In the coming years, schistosomiasis could be eliminated in the Caribbean and transmission of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis could be eliminated in Latin America. However, the highest disease burden NTDs, such as Chagas disease, soil-transmitted helminth infections, and hookworm and schistosomiasis co-infections, may first require scale-up of existing resources or the development of new control tools in order to achieve control or elimination. Ultimately, the roadmap for the control and elimination of the more widespread NTDs will require an inter-sectoral approach that bridges public health, social services, and environmental interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Hotez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University and Sabin Vaccine Institute, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University and Sabin Vaccine Institute, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Carlos Franco-Paredes
- Hospital Infantil de México, Federico Gómez, México, D.F., México
- Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Steven K. Ault
- Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Mirta Roses Periago
- Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Washington, D.C., United States of America
| |
Collapse
|