Revisiting immunity vs. exposure in schistosomiasis: A mathematical modeling study of delayed concomitant immunity.

The relative contributions of exposure vs. acquired immunity to the epidemiology of human schistosomiasis has been long debated. While there is considerable evidence that humans acquire partial immunity to infection, age- and sex-related contact patterns with water bodies contaminated with infectious cercarial schistosome larvae also contribute to typical epidemiological profiles of infection.

The epidemiology of Chagas disease in the Americas.

Chagas disease is a complex parasitic zoonosis that still threatens public health across the Americas. Initiatives to control transmission blood transfusion and non-native triatomine-bug vectors have yielded crucial advances; native vectors, however, actively bridge wild and domestic/peri-domestic transmission cycles throughout the region, and tens of thousands of people become infected each year. Oral-transmission outbreaks, urbanisation, and vertical transmission are additional/emerging issues calling for innovative strategic thinking.

An Updated Economic Assessment of Moxidectin Treatment Strategies for Onchocerciasis Elimination.

Background: Concerns that annual mass administration of ivermectin, the predominant strategy for onchocerciasis control and elimination, may not lead to elimination of parasite transmission (EoT) in all endemic areas have increased interest in alternative treatment strategies. One such strategy is moxidectin. We performed an updated economic assessment of moxidectin- relative to ivermectin-based strategies.

Accelerating Progress Towards the 2030 Neglected Tropical Diseases Targets: How Can Quantitative Modeling Support Programmatic Decisions?

Over the past decade, considerable progress has been made in the control, elimination, and eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Despite these advances, most NTD programs have recently experienced important setbacks; for example, NTD interventions were some of the most frequently and severely impacted by service disruptions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Mathematical modeling can help inform selection of interventions to meet the targets set out in the NTD road map 2021-2030, and such studies should prioritize questions that are relevant for decision-makers, especially those designing, implementing, and evaluating national and subnational programs.

Non-adherence to ivermectin in onchocerciasis-endemic communities with persistent infection in the Bono Region of Ghana: a mixed-methods study.

Background: The World Health Organization has proposed that onchocerciasis elimination (interruption) of transmission be verified in 12 (approximately a third) endemic countries by 2030. The strategy to reach this goal is based on ivermectin Mass Drug Administration (MDA) with high geographical and therapeutic coverage. In addition to coverage, high levels of treatment adherence are paramount.

Persistence of onchocerciasis and associated dermatologic and ophthalmic pathologies after 27 years of ivermectin mass drug administration in the middle belt of Ghana.

Objectives: There is a pressing need to regularly evaluate the progress of onchocerciasis elimination programmes to timely identify and mitigate potential risks hindering the reaching of the 2030 targets proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its roadmap on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). We determined the prevalence of onchocerciasis and associated dermatological and ophthalmological manifestations in six endemic communities in the Bono Region of Ghana after 27 years of ivermectin mass treatment.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 564 participants aged ≥5 years were enrolled (49.

Can mass drug administration of moxidectin accelerate onchocerciasis elimination in Africa?

Epidemiological and modelling studies suggest that elimination of transmission (EoT) throughout Africa may not be achievable with annual mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin alone, particularly in areas of high endemicity and vector density. Single-dose Phase II and III clinical trials demonstrated moxidectin's superiority over ivermectin for prolonged clearance of microfilariae. We used the stochastic, individual-based EPIONCHO-IBM model to compare the probabilities of reaching EoT between ivermectin and moxidectin MDA for a range of endemicity levels (30 to 70% baseline microfilarial prevalence), treatment frequencies (annual and biannual) and therapeutic coverage/adherence values (65 and 80% of total population, with, respectively, 5 and 1% of systematic non-adherence).

Prevalence of epilepsy in the onchocerciasis endemic middle belt of Ghana after 27 years of mass drug administration with ivermectin.

Background: In onchocerciasis-endemic areas with high ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission, a high prevalence of epilepsy has been reported. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of epilepsy in the Bono Region of Ghana following 27 years of implementation of ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA).

Methods: Between October 2020 and August 2021, cross-sectional surveys were conducted in nine communities in the Tain District and Wenchi Municipality of the Bono Region of Ghana.

Factors associated with variation in single-dose albendazole pharmacokinetics: A systematic review and modelling analysis.

Background: Albendazole is an orally administered anti-parasitic medication with widespread usage in a variety of both programmatic and clinical contexts. Previous work has shown that the drug's pharmacologically active metabolite, albendazole sulfoxide, is characterised by substantial inter-individual pharmacokinetic variation. This variation might have implications for the efficacy of albendazole treatment, but current understanding of the factors associated with this variation remains incomplete.

Impact of a 5-Year Mass Drug Administration Programme for Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases on the Spatial Distribution of Childhood Anaemia in Burundi from 2007 to 2011.

Background: Childhood anaemia affects 1.8 billion people globally. Little is known about the long-term impact of mass drug administration (MDA) for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) on the spatiotemporal variation of anaemia prevalence and severity.

Global variation in force-of-infection trends for human T taeniasis/cysticercosis.

Infection by poses a major burden across endemic countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) 2021-2030 Neglected Tropical Diseases roadmap has proposed that 30% of endemic countries achieve intensified control in hyperendemic areas by 2030. Understanding geographical variation in age-prevalence profiles and force-of-infection (FoI) estimates will inform intervention designs across settings.

Linear and Machine Learning modelling for spatiotemporal disease predictions: Force-of-Infection of Chagas disease.

Background: Chagas disease is a long-lasting disease with a prolonged asymptomatic period. Cumulative indices of infection such as prevalence do not shed light on the current epidemiological situation, as they integrate infection over long periods. Instead, metrics such as the Force-of-Infection (FoI) provide information about the rate at which susceptible people become infected and permit sharper inference about temporal changes in infection rates.

Immunodiagnosis of cystic echinococcosis in livestock: Development and validation dataset of an ELISA test using a recombinant B8/2 subunit of .

The accuracy of screening tests for detecting cystic echinococcosis (CE) in livestock depends on characteristics of the host-parasite interaction and the extent of serological cross-reactivity with other taeniid species. The AgB8 kDa protein is considered to be the most specific native or recombinant antigen for immunodiagnosis of ovine CE. A particular DNA fragment coding for rAgB8/2 was identified, that provides evidence of specific reaction in the serodiagnosis of metacestode infection.