Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Status: Infections in Human Populations after Five Effective Rounds of Mass Drug Administration in Zambia.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF), also commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by filarial parasites. The disease is transmitted via a bite from infected mosquitoes. The bites of these infected mosquitoes deposit filarial parasites, or , whose predilection site is the lymphatic system.

An epidemiological survey of porcine cysticercosis in Nyasa District, Ruvuma Region, Tanzania.

Porcine cysticercosis (PC) caused by larvae is continuing being important zoonotic disease in many developing countries. It poses a serious public health risk and leads to economic losses to pig production industry. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with PC transmission in Nyasa District.

Efficacy and safety of anthelmintics tested against Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs.

Porcine cysticercosis, an infection caused by Taenia solium metacestodes, is continuously being reported in low-income countries of Latin America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The disease was declared eradicable by the International Task Force for Diseases Eradication (ITFDE) in 1993, and it is listed among the 17 WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases and Neglected Zoonoses that are potentially eradicable. In view of that, WHO has proposed a step-wise approach to its elimination, including chemotherapy of infected pigs.

Efficacy of ivermectin and oxfendazole against Taenia solium cysticercosis and other parasitoses in naturally infected pigs.

Smallholder semi-confined pig production is a fast growing practice in sub-Saharan Africa with an unfortunate outcome of high prevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis and other parasitoses. The widely used anthelmintic for control of endo and ecto-parasites in pigs in the area is ivermectin at a recommended dose of 0.3mg/kg.

The effect of oxfendazole treatment on muscle pathology in pigs infected with Taenia solium cysticercosis.

The aim of the present study was to test histopathologically the hypothesis that the time for clearing Taenia solium cysts in muscle tissue of pigs following treatment with oxfendazole is cyst density dependent. A total of 248 cyst lesions in the masseter muscle of 28 naturally infected pigs were examined 1, 4 and 8 weeks after oxfendazole (OFZ) treatment. As controls, half of the pigs received no treatment.

Epilepsy and neurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the last decades, studies in sub-Saharan Africa have indicated that epilepsy is a highly prevalent neurological disorder. Causes may be varied with infections of the central nervous system playing an important role. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) has recently been recognised as an emerging public health problem and a growing concern throughout sub-Saharan Africa and has been estimated to be responsible for 30-50% of acquired epilepsy.