Effect of a Single Standard Dose (150-200 μg/kg) of Ivermectin on Microfilaremia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: In central Africa, millions of individuals infected with have received the anthelminthic drug ivermectin (IVM) as part of mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns targeting onchocerciasis control or elimination. Nonetheless, the parasitological surveys that are occasionally conducted to evaluate the impact of IVM treatments on do not include an assessment of the extra benefits of those MDA campaigns on .

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of trials on the effect of a single standard (150-200 μg/kg) dose of IVM on microfilarial density (MFD).

Influence of pregnancy on Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia in chronically infected women in a rural Bolivian community.

To determine the role of pregnancy on Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia, a matched cohort study was carried out in a rural Bolivian community comparing parasite rates in gravidae, puerperae, and non-pregnant infected women. A selection of 67 chronically infected women, who delivered between March 2004 and May 2005, were initially evaluated during the third trimester of pregnancy and again after delivery. They were matched for age, parity, and location with 104 seropositive non-pregnant women, who likewise had submitted blood for microscopic examination for T.