[Impact of implementation of Three Gorges Project on schistosomiasis endemic situation and control in Nanjing City].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the changes of hydrological regime in the Yangtze River and schistosomiasis endemic situation in Nanjing City after the implementation of Three Gorges Project. METHODS: The data of hydrological regime of the Yangtze River, schistosomiasis epidemic situation, and Oncomelania hupensis snail status were collected and analyzed in Nanjing City from 2002 to 2012. RESULTS: After the implementation of the Three Gorges Project in 2003, the water level of the Yangtze River slightly rose from January to April, the average water levels in May and August both reduced compared with those in 2002, and the time of water withdrawal was moved up. The water level of the Yangtze River slightly reduced from November to December. The endemic situation of schistosomiasis showed a decline tendency in the areas along the Yangtze River in Nanjing City. In 2012, the rates of human and bovine infected with Schistosoma japonicum both reduced by 100% as compared with those in 2002, and the snail area, infected snail area and snail density were reduced by 48.45%, 100% and 95.76% respectively as compared with those in 2002. CONCLUSION: After the implementation of the Three Gorges Project, the schistosomiasis endemic situation shows a decline tendency in the areas along the Yangtze River in Nanjing City, but the long-term monitoring still need to be carried out.

[Imported falciparum malaria infections in Nanjing City from 2008 to 2012].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the situation of imported falciparum malaria infections in Nanjing City so as to provide the evidence for formulating the control strategy of malaria. METHODS: The data of imported falciparum malaria cases in Nanjing City were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2012, the imported falciparum malaria cases reported were 3, 5, 15, 17, 18, respectively, and the total cases were 58, with the increasing trend year by year. Among them, 94.8% of patients returned from Africa. In 2012, 81.2% of reported malaria cases were imported falciparum malaria. CONCLUSION: In Nanjing City, the imported falciparum malaria cases are increasing year by year. Therefore, we should strengthen the monitoring and control measures.

[Improvement of fully automatically microscopic scanning system based on the oil-lens and its application in reading of malaria blood smears].

OBJECTIVE: To improve the automatically microscopic scanning system based on the oil-lens and apply it in reading of malaria blood smears. METHODS: The software of the system was modified and optimized. A total of 115 blood films from Tengchong City of Yunnan Province were examined by the automatically systematic method or read by blood smear examination staff of Tengchong City and the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were determined and compared between the two methods. RESULTS: The scanning of the system was speedier and the actual operation was more simple and convenient. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the system were better than those of the professional staff. There was a significant difference of accuracy between the two methods (P = 0.002) and there was a significant difference of comprehensive sensitivity and specificity between the two methods (P < 0.01). Moreover, the system had the function of automatically saving scanning pictures which could be read again by everyone through the Internet. CONCLUSIONS: The fully automatically microscopic scanning system based on the oil-lens has many functions and the operation is simple. It can improve the speed, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of malaria blood smears and those indices are much better than those of the reading smears under a microscope by the professional staff. Therefore, it is easier to be applied at the grassroots level.

[Automatic microscopic scanning system in etiological diagnosis of schistosomiasis].

OBJECTIVE: To apply the automatically microscopic scanning system in the etiological diagnosis of schistosomiasis, as an alternative to the traditional manual microscopy detection, and improve the detection rates and efficiency of examinations of fecal slides. METHODS: A single-blind method was used throughout the process of both the automatic microscopic scanning system and traditional manual microscopy reading. Each of five professionals read 20 Kato-Katz manure piece samples. The detection results and time for each sample were recorded. The two methods were compared by the film reading speed, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. RESULTS: The overall accuracy of the diagnosis of schistosomiasis of the automatically microscopic scanning image system was 99.00%, higher than that of the traditional manual microscopy detection (91.00%) (P < 0.05); the sensitivity and specificity of the image system were 98.57% and 100%, respectively, and also higher than those of the traditional manual microscopy method (90.00% and 93.33%) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The automatically microscopic scanning system is powerful, the scanning speed is fast, and the operation is easy. Its speed, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity are superior to those of the conventional manual microscopy; therefore, it is suitable for the etiological diagnosis of schistosomiasis at the grassroots' level.