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Harada Y, Iwashita H, Moriyasu T, Nagi S, Saito N, Sugawara-Mikami M, Yoshioka K, Yotsu R. The current status of neglected tropical diseases in Japan: A scoping review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011854. [PMID: 38166156 PMCID: PMC10786391 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Little attention has been paid to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in high-income countries and no literature provides an overview of NTDs in Japan. This scoping review aims to synthesize the latest evidence and information to understand epidemiology of and public health response to NTDs in Japan. Using three academic databases, we retrieved articles that mentioned NTDs in Japan, written in English or Japanese, and published between 2010 and 2020. Websites of key public health institutions and medical societies were also explored. From these sources of information, we extracted data that were relevant to answering our research questions. Our findings revealed the transmission of alveolar echinococcosis, Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue, foodborne trematodiases, mycetoma, scabies, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis as well as occurrence of snakebites within Japan. Other NTDs, such as chikungunya, cystic echinococcosis, cysticercosis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, rabies, and schistosomiasis, have been imported into the country. Government agencies tend to organize surveillance and control programs only for the NTDs targeted by the Infectious Disease Control Law, namely, echinococcosis, rabies, dengue, and chikungunya. At least one laboratory offers diagnostic testing for each NTD except for dracunculiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and yaws. No medicine is approved for treatment of Chagas disease and fascioliasis and only off-label use drugs are available for cysticercosis, opisthorchiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and yaws. Based on these findings, we developed disease-specific recommendations. In addition, three policy issues are discussed, such as lack of legal frameworks to organize responses to some NTDs, overreliance on researchers to procure some NTD products, and unaffordability of unapproved NTD medicines. Japan should recognize the presence of NTDs within the country and need to address them as a national effort. The implications of our findings extend beyond Japan, emphasizing the need to study, recognize, and address NTDs even in high-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuriko Harada
- Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hanako Iwashita
- Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taeko Moriyasu
- Office for Global Relations, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Sachiyo Nagi
- Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Nobuo Saito
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan
| | - Mariko Sugawara-Mikami
- West Yokohama Sugawara Dermatology Clinic, Kanagawa, Japan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Medical Technology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kota Yoshioka
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Interfaculty Initiative in Planetary Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Rie Yotsu
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
- Department of Dermatology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Wong MTJ, Anuar NS, Noordin R, Tye GJ. Soil-transmitted helminthic vaccines: Where are we now? Acta Trop 2023; 239:106796. [PMID: 36586174 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
It has been tested and proven that vaccination is still the best strategy to combat infectious diseases. However, to date, there are still no vaccines against human soil-transmitted helminthic diseases, despite their high prevalence globally, particularly in developing countries and rural areas with tropical climates and poor sanitation. The development of vaccines against helminths is riddled with obstacles. Helminths have a complex life cycle, multiple stages within the same host with stage-specific antigen expression, and the ability to regulate host immune reactions to evade the immune response. These elements contribute to the main challenge of helminthic vaccines: the identification of effective vaccine candidates. Therefore, this article reviews the current progress and potential future direction of soil-transmitted helminthic vaccines, particularly against Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides stercoralis, Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. The study design employed was a systematic review, using qualitative meta-summary synthesis. Preclinical studies and clinical trials on the development of protein subunit vaccines against the five soil-transmitted helminths were searched on PubMed and Scopus. Effectiveness was indicated by a reduction in worm burden or larval output, an increase in specific IgG levels, or an increase in cytokine production. Our findings show that only the hookworm vaccine against N. americanus is in the clinical trial phase, while the rest is still in exploratory research and pre-clinical development phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Tze Jian Wong
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Nor Suhada Anuar
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Rahmah Noordin
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Gee Jun Tye
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
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