[Wuchereria bancrofti and asthmatic pulmonary signs in Upper Egypt]. / Wuchereria bancrofti et manifestations pulmonaires asthmatiformes en Haute-Egypte.

A biological and clinical survey was conducted in 25 patients with bancroftian filariasis, consulting the El Nikhela Health Centre, Assiout Governorate, Upper Egypt. Eleven patients showed asthmatic bronchitis. According to parasitological and serological data (specific antibodies level, total IgE), those clinical manifestations cannot be considered as a part of the "eosinophilic lung" syndrome. In this area, where Wuchereria bancrofti has been recently introduced and where there is an increasing degree of infection, bancroftian filariasis seems to predispose to allergic manifestations.

Protein profile and morphometry of cultured human Blastocystis hominis from children with gastroenteritis and healthy ones.

A total of 180 children of age group 5-12 years old in both sexes, of whom 90 were symptomatic and negative for other parasites, rotavirus or pathogenic bacteria. Another 90 children were asymptomatic, but with B. hominis in stools. Direct smear, formaline-ethyl acetate sedimentation concentration, kinyon carbol-fuchin stain, stool culture, enzyme immunoassay, culturing, morphometric study, gel electrophoresis and experimental infection of mice were done. The results showed that the central body cysts (CB), granular and multivacuolar forms isolated from symptomatic patients were larger than those from asymptomatic ones. The CB form was common compared to other forms and isolated from 104 cases. B. hominis infection was prevalent among males rather than females (60.5% versus 39.5%). The clinical data showed that diarrhea was the most common symptom (58.9%). The infection intensity had a direct relation with illness duration. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients ranged between 24-130 kDa. All isolates showed similar banding patterns. Only minor differences was in low MW (30, 50 kDa) and in high MW (118 kDa) in samples from symptomatic patients. The histopathological examination of caecum, colon and small intestine of B. hominis mice infected from symptommatic patients showed infiltration with inflammatory cells and tissue invasion by the parasite.