Successful Resolution of Recurrent Vaginal Pinworm Infection With Intermittent Albendazole Administration.

We describe the case of a 7-year-old girl with repeated vaginal Enterobius vermicularis infection, never detected as a digestive tract infection. Two-dose pyrantel pamoate or 2-dose albendazole could not suppress recurrence. Finally, 3-dose albendazole after 2-week intervals was successful in preventing relapse.

Enteric diseases of homosexual men.

Certain enteric ailments are particularly common among homosexual men. They are primarily infectious diseases and include not only such common venereal diseases as gonorrhea and syphilis but also infections not usually regarded as being sexually transmitted. Among the latter are shigellosis, salmonellosis, giardiasis, and amebiasis. Patients' symptoms are non-specific and seldom helpful in diagnosing particular diseases. The practitioner must be prepared to identify a number of infections with similar presentations that may occur singly or together in gay men. Gonorrhea is probably the most common bacterial infection in gay men. Carriage rates as high as 50% have been reported, and extra-genital carriage is common; this necessitates culturing the urethra, rectum, and pharynx. Procaine penicillin G is the treatment of choice for most patients; spectinomycin is probably the drug of choice in penicillin-sensitive patients. In contrast to other venereal diseases, syphilis may have a characteristic protoscopic presentation. Benzathine penicillin G is the treatment of choice for most patients. Lymphogranuloma venereum causes penile lesions and inguinal lymphadenitis in heterosexual men, whereas homosexual men are more prone to proctitis. The disease may mimic Crohn's disease. Recommended treatment includes tetracycline or sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Shigellosis usually presents as an acute diarrheal illness. Patients generally require only supportive treatment with fluids. Herpes simplex viral infection is difficult to diagnose and has several different presentations, including lumbosacral radiculomyelopathy. Symptomatic treatment with sitz baths, anesthetic ointment, and analgesics is recommended. Venereal warts are believed to be caused by the same virus that causes verrucous warts; they are usually found in the anal canal or around the anal orifice. They are commonly treated with 25% podophyllin solution. Parasitic infections include giardiasis, amebiasis, and pinworm infections. Metronidazole may be used in the treatment of symptomatic giardiasis and amebiasis, but it is not approved for the former indication; quinacrine is approved for giardiasis. Pinworm infestation may be treated with pyrantel pamoate or mebendazole. Cure of enteric diseases in homosexual men must be documented.

Assessment of methods of destruction of Syphacia muris eggs.

An investigation was performed to identify methods suitable for decontamination of equipment being transferred from a facility contaminated with Syphacia muris to a new facility. Perianal samples were taken on clear sticky tape from rats known to be infected with S. muris. Tapes and attached worm eggs were treated with ethylene oxide, formaldehyde fumigation, potassium peroxysulphate, chlorine dioxide and didecyl di-methyl ammonium chloride, chlorine dioxide, alcohol/chlorhexidine, 100 degrees C dry heat for 30 min, ultraviolet light (UV), or left for 4 weeks at room temperature. The subsequent viability of the eggs was compared to untreated control samples. Heat and ethylene oxide produced a 100% kill rate of S. muris eggs. Formaldehyde gas and chlorine dioxide treatments showed marked effectiveness, with the number of eggs killed at 94% and 96%, respectively, while the other agents showed less efficacy (36-78% eggs killed). The percentage of eggs not hatching in the controls was 21%. Since so few agents were effective against S. muris eggs, care should be taken when choosing a method for decontaminating a facility.

Parasitic infections in Singapore.

This paper describes various parasitic infections which are encountered in Singapore. These include the soil transmitted helminths, pinworms, Clonorchis/Opisthorchis, Hymenolepis, filariae, malarial parasites, Toxoplasma and other protozoal infections. The reasons for the transmission of these parasites in the republic are discussed. Some of the problems associated with their diagnosis are highlighted.

Pediatrics: ridding children of common worm infections.

The most common worm infection in children in the United States is pinworm infection. In second place is roundworm infection. Agents that are effective against these nematodes in a high proportion of cases are available. In hookworm disease, generally seen in older children, tetrachloroethylene treatment is being supplanted by use of drugs less likely to have adverse side effect. Visceral larva migrans is difficult to diagnose and to treat, and our best hope for control lies in prevention.

Evaluation of coinfection with pinworms (Aspiculuris tetraptera, Dentostomella translucida, and Syphacia obvelata) in gerbils and mice.

Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) naturally infected with the nematode Dentostomella translucida and mice (Mus musculus) that were either pinworm-free or harboring either or both Aspiculuris tetraptera and Syphacia abvelata were crossinfected experimentally with these nematode species. Gerbils were susceptible to infections by S. obvelata and A. tetraptera from mice, whereas mice were resistant to infection by D. translucida from gerbils. The data presented are the first regarding coinfections with these three pinworms in gerbils.

The influence of filter top caging on the transmission of pinworm infections in mice.

The effectiveness of filter top cages in preventing infection of mice with pinworms, Aspiculuris tetraptera and Syphacia obvelata, was investigated by introducing mice from a pathogen-free colony into a colony in which both types of pinworms were enzootic. Half of the pathogen-free mice were maintained in filter top cages, while the remainder were held in similar cages without filters. All mice thus introduced were killed and examined after 3-8 week exposure periods. No pinworm were recovered from mice in 17 of 18 cages with filter tops while mice in 12 of 16 cages without filter tops were infected.