Trichinellosis acquired in the United Kingdom.

An outbreak of trichinellosis that occurred in the United Kingdom is described. Members of four households consumed pork salami from northern Serbia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Eight cases of trichinellosis occurred.

Chemotherapy for patients with multiple parasitic infections.

Multiple parasitic infections have become increasingly recognized as a result of improvements in laboratory diagnosis and a growing population of immunocompromised individuals. This review examines the principles of chemotherapy in groupings of multiple infections which are of particular clinical significance.

Presentation and outcome of 1107 cases of schistosomiasis from Africa diagnosed in a non-endemic country.

Schistosomiasis is found in a significant proportion of returning travellers and immigrants to Britain. This study is a retrospective review of 1107 consecutive cases of schistosomiasis from Africa diagnosed by microscopy or serology presenting to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UK. 50.

Utility of history, examination and laboratory tests in screening those returning to Europe from the tropics for parasitic infection.

Objectives: To examine the utility of the different elements of screening expatriates and travellers returned from the tropics for parasitic disease (exposure history, symptoms, examination and laboratory tests).

Methods: In phase 1 (conducted prospectively 1990-91), 1029 asymptomatic returnees had a detailed questionnaire and interview on risk-behaviour, physical examination and laboratory tests. In phase 2 (1997-98), 510 consecutive patients referred for routine screening (276 symptomatic and 234 asymptomatic) were screened with laboratory tests.

Performance of the OptiMAL malaria antigen capture dipstick for malaria diagnosis and treatment monitoring at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London.

We report here the sensitivity and specificity of OptiMAL for the diagnosis of acute malaria in patients presenting to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), a tertiary referral centre for Tropical and Infectious diseases. A sensitivity of 95.3% and a specificity of 100% for Plasmodium falciparum and a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100% for Plasmodium vivax was obtained.

Comparison of blood-film microscopy, the OptiMAL dipstick, Rhodamine-123 fluorescence staining and PCR, for monitoring antimalarial treatment.

In an attempt to see if the OptiMAL dipstick (Flow Inc., Portland, OR) can be used to monitor antimalarial treatment, a pilot study of 17 patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, U.K.

Parenteral ivermectin in Strongyloides hyperinfection.

Strongyloides hyperinfection, unresponsive to oral ivermectin and oral albendazole, was controlled by subcutaneous administration of a veterinary preparation of ivermectin.

Intestinal capillariasis acquired in Egypt.

A 34-year-old Egyptian man presented with a 4-month history of profound weight loss, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Extensive investigations in Egypt had failed to provide a diagnosis but subsequent stool examinations revealed ova of Capillaria philippinensis. The patient made a slow but complete recovery after treatment with albendazole.

Comparison of a parasite lactate dehydrogenase-based immunochromatographic antigen detection assay (OptiMAL) with microscopy for the detection of malaria parasites in human blood samples.

Microscopic examination of blood smears remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis, but is labor-intensive and requires skilled operators. Rapid dipstick technology provides a potential alternative. A study was conducted in The Gambia to compare the performance of OptiMAL, an immunochromatographic antigen detection assay for the diagnosis of malaria using parasite lactate dehydrogenase, against standard microscopy in patients with suspected malaria.

Periodate-sensitive immunological cross-reactivity between keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) and serodiagnostic Schistosoma mansoni egg antigens.

Both CEF6, a cation-exchange fraction of soluble Schistosoma mansoni egg antigens (SEA), composed of the 2 antigens, alpha-1 and omega-1, and haemocyanin from the keyhole limpet, Megathura crenulata, have shown potential for immunodiagnosis of human schistosomiasis. Possible cross-reactivity between antigens in SEA and keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) was explored by Western immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera from rabbits immunized with KLH, SEA, CEF6, alpha-1, omega-1, or egg antigen k5. Both immunoassays revealed a high degree of serological cross-reactivity between the schistosome egg antigens and KLH, much of it due to sodium periodate-sensitive epitopes.

Immunocapture diagnostic assays for malaria using Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH).

We have developed two diagnostic assays based on the specific detection of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) activity. These assays exploit a panel of monoclonal antibodies that capture the parasite enzyme and allow for the quantitation and speciation of human malaria infections. An immunocapture pLDH activity assay (ICpLDH) allows for the rapid purification and measurement of pLDH from infected blood using the NAD analog APAD, which reacts specifically with Plasmodium LDH isoforms.

An improved colorimetric PCR-based method for detection and differentiation of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar in feces.

The epidemiological implications of the recent separation of "Entamoeba histolytica" into two separate species, pathogenic E. histolytica sensu stricto and commensal E. dispar, will not become apparent without methods of distinguishing between them which are applicable to large numbers of specimens.

Evaluation of a malaria antibody ELISA and its value in reducing potential wastage of red cell donations from blood donors exposed to malaria, with a note on a case of transfusion-transmitted malaria.

Background And Objectives: Blood donations are often wasted for lack of a satisfactory procedure to evaluate donors potentially exposed to malaria.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated a commercial ELISA for the detection of antibodies to malaria and compared it with an immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT).

Results: When 5,311 sera from routine non-exposed donors were tested, 24 (0.

Evaluation of atovaquone in the treatment of patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

The activity of atovaquone in patients with oligosymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria was assessed in an open, non-comparative clinical study. The patients showed a good clinical response, but there was a high rate of recrudescence. The activity of atovaquone in combination with another antimalarial agent should be investigated.

Detection and identification of gastrointestinal microsporidia using non-invasive techniques.

Aims: To detect enteric microsporidia in faecal specimens from patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and to identify the spores to species level without using invasive procedures.

Methods: Formalised faecal preparations were examined using a modification of the strong trichrome staining method to demonstrate microsporidian spores. Six positive specimens were prepared for electron microscopy by emulsification and separation using a 9% Ficoll gradient.

Visceral leishmaniasis after cardiac surgery.

An English child developed visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) after cardiac surgery. Neither he nor his mother had ever been out of the UK, and his disease was probably transmitted by blood transfusion. Kala-azar should be considered in patients with unexplained fever and hepatosplenomegaly, even if there is no history of foreign travel.