Toxocara seroprevalence in schizophrenic patients in Turkey

PURPOSE: To investigate the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in patients diagnosed as schizophrenia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight schizophrenic patients hospitalized at The Elazig Psychiatric Hospital were included in the study. Anti-Toxocara IgG and/or IgM antibodies were determined by using commercial Toxocara canis IgG and/or IgM ELISA kit. RESULTS: Seropositivity for T. canis was detected in 45 (45.9%) of 98 patients and 2 (2.0%) of 100 control subjects the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). The seroprevalence was 40.4% (19 cases) and 51.0% (26 cases) for female and male subjects, respectively (p=0.3). When the seropositive and seronegative schizophrenic patients were compared with respect to the age group environment they were living in, occupation period of follow up and number of hospitalizations, there were no differences between the two groups (all, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the schizophrenic state seems to present a high risk for Toxocara infection in Turkey.     

Toxocara spp. seroprevalence in sheep from southern Brazil

Visceral toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis that occurs through the ingestion of embryonated Toxocara spp. eggs. A wide range of animal species can act as paratenic hosts for this ascarid. The main risk factor for humans is the ingestion of the eggs from contaminated soil; however, infection can also occur through the ingestion of contaminated raw or undercooked infected meat from paratenic hosts. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of Toxocara spp.-specific antibodies in sheep and to determine the risk factors associated with the infection of sheep in Rio Grande do Sul (a major sheep-producing and sheep-consuming state) in southern Brazil. Serum samples collected from 1,642 sheep were tested using an IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on the excretory–secretory Toxocara canis antigen. Seroprevalence was 29.0 % (477/1,642), and every farm included in the study contained at least one seropositive animal. These results indicate that T. canis infection is widely distributed among sheep herds in Rio Grande do Sul and that it represents a potential risk to human health.     

Toxocara infection seroprevalence and its relationship with atopic features in a general adult population

BACKGROUND: The relationship of helminth infection with atopy is controversial. Toxocariasis is the most common helminth infection in industrialized countries. The study aimed to investigate the association between Toxocara exposure and atopic features. METHODS: The study is based on a cross-sectional survey of 463 subjects, randomly selected (stratified by decades of age) from a general adult population. Toxocara exposure was defined by the presence of serum Toxocara antibodies. Main outcome measures included total serum IgE levels, skin prick tests (SPT) to a panel of 13 relevant aeroallergens, specific IgE to aeroallergens (Phadiatop test), and respiratory symptoms evaluated by means of a questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 134 subjects (weighted proportion 28.6%, 95% CI 26.5-30.7%) showed Toxocara exposure. Pet ownership, rural habitat, farming, and low educational level were associated with Toxocara exposure. Toxocara exposure was associated with both positive SPT (particularly to mites) and positive specific IgE (Phadiatop test) after adjusting for potential confounders. The effect of Toxocara exposure on total serum IgE levels and blood eosinophil count was different in SPT-positive subjects and SPT-negative individuals. In SPT-negative individuals, Toxocara exposure was associated with an increase in both serum IgE levels and eosinophil counts, whereas an opposite trend was observed in SPT-positive individuals. Toxocara exposure was not associated with respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In this adult population, Toxocara exposure is associated with allergic sensitization, particularly to mites. There is evidence of an intriguing interaction between Toxocara exposure and allergic sensitization for both total serum IgE levels and blood eosinophil counts.     

Biological activity of Paecilomyces genus against Toxocara canis eggs

Saprophytic soil fungi can exert ovicidal and ovistatic effects on helminths with differing degrees of efficiency. The representatives of such fungi from temperate regions, Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson and P. marquandii (Masse) Hughes, exhibit recognized ovicidal activity on some nematodes. We evaluated the action in vitro of P. lilacinus and P. marquandii on the zoonotic canine roundworm eggs of Toxocara canis. Eggs exposed and unexposed to fungal samples were observed by both light and scanning electron microscopy on days 4, 7 and 14 post-inoculation. Ovicidal activity of P. lilacinus on T. canis eggs was considered to be high and that of P. marquandii to be intermediate. Received: 14 February 2000 / Accepted: 16 March 2000     

Rubella seroprevalence in Korean children

The aim of this study was to determine the age-specific rubella seroprevalence and the related factors in Korean children. Subjects of the study were 5393 students from 8 elementary schools in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Questionnaire surveys with blood sampling were conducted in 1993, 1996, and 1999. ELISA tests, used to detect rubella specific IgG antibody, were Imx (R) (Abbott, U.S.A.) in 1993 and 1999, and Enzygnost (Behring, Germany) in 1996. The age-adjusted rubella susceptibility rate was 22.9% (95% CI: 22.8-23.0%) and it increased with age from 14% to 28%. The susceptibility rates of vaccinees, nonvaccinees, and the unknown group were 21%, 35%, and 27%, respectively (p=0.000). The rates by parental education levels for elementary and below, middle school, high school, and college and over were 37%, 26%, 24%, and 20%, respectively. The geometric mean titers (GMTs) of nonvaccinees, the unknown group, and vaccinees were 47 IU/mL, 42 IU/mL, and 37 IU/mL, respectively (p=0.000). The susceptibility level was too high to prevent the rubella epidemic in Korea, which necessitates a programme that will enhance the coverage for 1st and 2nd MMR vaccination among school children. In particular, more attention should be paid to the vaccination of the children whose parental education level is relatively low.     

Dispersion and infectivity of Toxocara canis eggs after passage through chicken intestine

Parasitology Research - Toxocariasis is an important, but neglected, worldwide zoonosis. It is considered a primarily soil-transmitted disease, but food-borne transmission has been associated with...     

Comparable seropositivity for ascariasis and toxocariasis in tropical slum children

The seropositivities for infection byAscaris lumbricoides andToxocara canis were determined in children (1–15 years old) of a slum area of Caracas, Venezuela, and the levels that indicate the presence of active infection were defined. In children aged from 1 to 3 years, approximately 10% were positive for either parasite, and this figure increased to about 30% in 4- to 6-year-olds. For toxocariasis, the percentage of positivity remained at this level up to the age of 15 years. Whilst the positivity in children 10–15 years of age was comparable forAscaris andToxocara, a peak of positivity (50%) was found forAscaris at 7–9 years of age. These results indicate that for these urban slum children, infection byToxocara is essentially as common as that byAscaris and, thus, that toxocariasis represents a potential public health problem in the tropical environment that is largely overlooked.     

Development of a highly specific recombinant Toxocara canis second-stage larva excretory-secretory antigen for immunodiagnosis of human toxocariasis

The specificity of the recombinant Toxocara canis antigen developed for the immunodiagnosis of human toxocariasis was compared with that of the excretory-secretory antigen from T. canis second-stage larvae (TES) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A total of 153 human serum samples from patients infected with 20 different helminths, including 11 cases of toxocariasis, were examined. No false-negative reactions were observed for the toxocariasis cases. When the TES was used at concentrations of 0.5 and 0.125 microg/ml, cross-reactions were observed in 79 (55.6%) and 61 (43.0%) of 142 cases, respectively. In contrast, when the recombinant antigen was tested at a concentration of 0.5 microg/ml, cross-reactions were observed in 19 (13.4%) of 142 cases. At a concentration of 0.125 microg/ml, however, the cross-reaction rate decreased sharply to only 2.1%, corresponding to 3 of 142 cases. The cross-reactions occurred with one case each of gnathostomiasis, paragonimiasis with Paragonimus miyazakii, and spirometriasis, in which high antibody titers were detected. In addition, the recombinant antigen showed negative reactions with serum samples from patients infected with Ascaris and hookworms, which are the most common parasites in the world. These findings are also supported by experiments with animals infected with Ascaris and hookworm. From these results, the recombinant antigen is highly specific for toxocariasis and may provide more reliable diagnostic results than other methods.     

High seroprevalence of Pneumocystis infection in Spanish children

Pneumocystis infection occurs worldwide, and most individuals test seropositive for Pneumocystis early in childhood. Little is known about the epidemiology of this infection in western Europe. The seroprevalence of Pneumocystis infection in 233 Spanish children was determined in a community study by immunoblot analysis of sera. The overall seroprevalence was 73%, with an age-related increase from 52% at 6 years to 66% at 10 years and 80% at 13 years. The data indicated a high seroprevalence of Pneumocystis infection in healthy Spanish children, thereby demonstrating that this pathogen is widespread in southern Spain.     

High seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in non-institutionalised children with mental retardation

Eighty-four children with mental retardation (34 boys, 50 girls; age range 2-18 years, median 6 years) and 84 age- and gender-matched outpatient controls were studied. All children were living at home, had never stayed in an institution, and came from the same urban area. Seropositivity for Helicobacter pylori was found in 42 (50%) of 84 mentally retarded children and 16 (19%) of 84 controls (p < 0.01). Socio-economic factors did not differ between the two groups. The findings indicated that a higher prevalence of H. pylori infection occurs in children with mental retardation, regardless of whether they are institutionalised.     

Dose-dependent egg excretion in foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) after a single infection with Toxocara canis eggs

Faecal egg counts were performed daily for a period of 4 months on six silver fox cubs inoculated individually with an egg dose of 30, 100, 300, 1,000, 3,000, or 20,000 Toxocara canis eggs. At the lowest and the highest dose levels, the cubs did not develop patent infections. In the remaining cubs, the initial appearance of eggs in the faeces occurred 35-38 days post-infection (DPI), the patency period varied between 8 and 72 days, and the maximal EPG ranged from 980 to 5,700 (39-85 DPI). The highest egg excretion rates were found in cubs inoculated with 300 and 1,000 eggs. This study demonstrates that T. canis egg excretion rate in fox cubs is not linearly correlated with the ingestion level.     

Vaccination of chickens decreased Newcastle disease virus contamination in eggs

Newcastle disease is an important health issue of poultry causing major economic losses and inhibits trade worldwide. Vaccination is used as a control measure, but it is unknown whether vaccination will prevent virus contamination of eggs. In this study, hens were sham-vaccinated or received one or two doses of inactivated LaSota vaccine, followed three weeks later by virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) challenge. Eggs were collected daily and shell, albumen and yolk were subjected to virus isolation, as were oral and cloacal swabs at 2 and 4 days post-challenge (dpc). A second experiment evaluated the distribution of the virus in the reproductive tract of non-vaccinates. All vaccinated chickens survived challenge, and the levels of virus shed from cloacal swabs were decreased significantly when compared to shams. In non-vaccinated hens, virus was detected in the ovary and all segments of the oviduct. Yolk, albumen and eggshell surface from eggs laid at day 4 and 5 post-infection by sham-vaccinated hens were positive for NDV, but eggs from LaSota vaccinated hens lacked virus in internal egg components (i.e. yolk and albumen) and had reduction in the number of positive eggshell surfaces. These results indicate virulent NDV can replicate in the reproductive tract of hens and contaminate internal components of eggs and eggshell surface, but vaccination was able to prevent internal egg contamination, reducing eggshell surface contamination, and reducing shedding from digestive and respiratory tracts in virulent NDV challenged hens.     

Identification of new endemic tick-borne encephalitis foci in Poland – a pilot seroprevalence study in selected regions

In Poland, large-scale serologic surveys carried out in 1965–1972 revealed regions of Poland with particularly high prevalences of antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The information provided by the routine surveillance of communicable diseases during 1970–2005 indicated, however, that the geographic distribution of the disease is limited to a few eastern and south-western regions of Poland (defined as endemic for the purpose of this study). In the present serologic survey, 1498 human serum samples collected in 1996–2005 were randomly selected from a serum bank, and 358 goat serum samples were collected from milk-producing farms in selected areas of Poland 2002–2006. Thirty-nine human samples were positive for anti-TBEV antibodies, with an overall seroprevalence of 2.6%. Seroprevalence in endemic provinces ranged from 0.8% to 4.3%, and seroprevalence in non-endemic provinces ranged from 1.9% to 4.3%. In endemic, compared to the non-endemic provinces, the highest seroprevalence was found in the age group >60 years (7% vs. 1%) and in inhabitants of villages (3.9% vs. 1.8%). In non-endemic, compared to endemic provinces, the highest seroprevalence was detected in the age groups 30–39 years (5% vs. 2%) and 40–49 (4% vs. 0%), and in inhabitants of large towns inhabited by >100,000 people (4.1% vs. 2.5%). Out of 358 goat samples, 17 (4.7%) were positive for anti-TBEV antibodies. Seroprevalence in goats reached 14/151 (9.3%) in endemic, and 3/207 (1.4%) in non-endemic provinces. The present study indicates the possible existence of endemic foci in north-western provinces of Poland, in which barely any cases were reported during 1970–2005. The socio-demographic profile of seropositive subjects in non-endemic regions suggests that they might have been exposed to TBEV during travels to known endemic regions. This would mean, however, that they were missed by the surveillance system. A thorough review of diagnostic protocols in non-endemic regions and work towards an improvement of the TBE surveillance sensitivity is necessary.     

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation analysis in breast-ovarian cancer families from northeastern Poland

Sixty high-risk breast and/or ovarian cancer families from North-Eastern Poland were screened for germline mutations in BRCA1 (MIM# 113705) and BRCA2 (MIM# 600185), using a combination of protein truncation test, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and direct sequencing. Sixteen (27%) of the families were found to carry nine different BRCA mutations, including 14 families with BRCA1 mutation and two families with BRCA2 mutation. The results suggest the presence of two strong BRCA1 founder mutations in the Polish population - 5382insC (6 families) and 300T>G (Cys61Gly; 3 families). The remaining seven mutations were found in single families and included three previously reported BRCA1 mutations (185delAG, 2682C>T [Gln855Ter] and 3819del5), a novel BRCA1 mutation (IVS14+1G>A), as well as two BRCA2 mutations (4088delA and 7985G>A [Trp2586Ter]) not previously observed in Polish families. We confirm the strong influence of two Central-Eastern European BRCA1 founder mutations in familial breast and/or ovarian cancer in Poland. We also conclude that the Polish population has a more dispersed BRCA mutation spectrum than had been earlier thought. This warrants further careful BRCA mutation screening in order to optimise genetic counselling and disease prevention in affected families.     

Impact of travel on the seroprevalence of hepatitis A in children

BackgroundRecent data about hepatitis A virus (HAV) seroprevalence in industrialized countries and the impact of travels to endemic areas are sparse or absent, particularly for children.ObjectiveTo determine the impact of travel to endemic areas on HAV seroprevalence and estimate the overall HAV seroprevalence in children in France. To identify risk factors for positive HAV serologic results.Study designThis prospective multicentre cross-sectional seroprevalence study took place in eight paediatric emergency units throughout France. Children 1–16 years of age following all inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. Demographic, socioeconomic, and travel data were prospectively collected with a standardized questionnaire before measurement of specific HAV antibodies. HAV seroprevalence was determined and its association with diverse variables assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses.Results430 children were included, of whom 116 had travelled to endemic areas. The HAV seroprevalence in the overall population was 5% (95%CI, 3–7) and was higher among the travellers (12% [95%CI, 6–18]) than among the others (2% [95%CI, 0–3]), OR = 7.0 [95%CI, 2.6–18.8]. Risk factors identified for positive serologic results for HAV were travel to an endemic area >7 days (adjusted OR [aOR] = 4.3 [95%CI, 1.5–12]), age of 14–16 years (aOR = 7.7 [95%CI, 1.6–38.3]) and mother's birth in an endemic area (aOR = 5.2 [95%CI, 1.8–14.8]).ConclusionStatistical evidence showed that travel to endemic areas and parents’ place of birth both play a role in HAV serologic results in children with a significant difference of HAV seroprevalence between traveller and non-traveller children in France.     

Study on Salmonella contamination of traditionally produced edible poultry eggs

One of the important issues of food hygiene is Salmonella contamination of eggs that may cause food-borne infection and disease in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate Salmonella contamination of traditionally produced poultry eggs in Tehran. Contamination of eggs to other Enterobacteriaceae was also investigated. For this purpose, 200 eggs including 131 egg samples from chickens and 69 from quails, geese, and ducks (23 samples from each species) were investigated. After conventional isolation procedures, Salmonella contamination was detected in five chicken eggs. Serological tests revealed that all of the isolated genera belonged to D serogroup and multiplex PCR showed that all strains carried spv and sefA genes and also random sequence (specific for the genus Salmonella); therefore, all strains confirmed as Salmonella Enteritidis. Antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed sensitivity of all Salmonella isolates to florfenicol, ceftriaxone, trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, chloramfenicol, and oxytetracycline. In addition, except the quail eggs, 29 enteric bacteria were isolated from eggs including 21 Enterobacter spp., 4 Klebsiella spp., 3 Escherichia coli, and 1 Proteus spp. This study indicated that traditionally produced poultry eggs were highly contaminated by Enterobacteriaceae. Moreover, the chicken eggs were contaminated by Salmonella Enteritidis; therefore, non-commercial chicken eggs can be considered as an important threat for public health.