Obtaining an isolate of Ancylostoma braziliense from dogs without the need for necropsy.

Isolation of a specific Ancylostoma species typically requires death of the source animal, or holding an animal long enough to collect feces after treatment, for worm recovery and identification. The reason for collecting worms is that the eggs are not easy to distinguish morphologically. In keeping with the 3 Rs of laboratory animal research (reduction, refinement, replacement), the objective of this study was to obtain an isolate of Ancylostoma braziliense from 1-time field-collected samples of canine feces without the need for killing the host.

A human case of otoacariasis involving a histiostomatid mite (Acari: Histiostomatidae).

A 31-year-old Saudi man was seen at an ear, nose, and throat clinic at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with bilateral itching in the external auditory canal. On otoscopic examination, the skin lining the ear canal was thickened with whitish sheets of sloughed cells and thick discharge. Large numbers of mites of an undescribed species closely related to members of the genus Loxanoetus (Histiostomatidae) were present.

Diphyllobothriasis in Saudi Arabia.

We described a Saudi patient infected with Diphyllobothrium latum D. latum. A 38-year-old male presented, complaining of passing worms.

Retrospective analysis of intestinal parasitic infections diagnosed at a University Hospital in Central, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To review the intestinal parasites diagnosed in a university hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of intestinal parasitic infections reported in patients visiting at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, KSA from 1996 to 2003. Information regarding positive cases detected during the study period was collected from the hospital records, using the Hospital Information System database of KKUH.

Prevalence of Blastocystis hominis among "healthy" food handlers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

A prospective study was carried out to see the prevalence of B. hominis in food handlers in Dammam, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A total of 17073 food handlers were examined, 8.

An inguinal mass with local vascular lesions induced by a lymphatic filaria.

A 47-year-old Indian male presented with an inguinal mass clinically suspicious as a tumor. Histological examination of the excised mass demonstrated tissue reaction to degenerating intravascular adult filarial worms. The worms have been identified as a lymphatic filariae, most probably Wuchereria bancrofti.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus among bilharziasis patients.

Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with concurrent Schistosoma mansoni infestation has emerged as a major cause of chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HCV among bilharzia patients.

Methods: The study was conducted at the Viral Diagnostic and Parasitology Departments, Regional Laboratory and Blood Bank, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from August 1999 to July 2000.

Imported malaria infections diagnosed at the Malaria Referral Laboratory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To determine epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria infections in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on retrospective analysis of laboratory records within the Central Laboratory.

Methods: Records of the Malaria Referral Laboratory in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were reviewed for the past 6 years: 1416-1421 Hejri inclusive (1996-2001 Gregorian). The dates of blood films were converted to Gregorian calendar in addition to the Hejri dates already used in the records.