The effect of intervention methods on nutritional status and cognitive function of primary school children infected with Ascaris lumbricoides.

The prevalence rate of ascariasis in primary school children in northern Jakarta, Indonesia varies from 60% to 90%. An association between helminthic infection and educational achievement has long been recognized. This study was carried out in the northern part of Jakarta among primary school children 6-8 years of age. Treatment of ascariasis and health education were used as the interventions. Before the interventions, basic data on socioeconomic status, epidemiology, infection with Ascaris lumbricoides, nutritional status, and cognitive function were collected. After the interventions, only data on infection with A. lumbricoides, nutritional status, and cognitive function were collected. The children were divided into five groups. Group I was given an anthelminthic (mebendazole), group II was provided with health education, group III was given an antihelminthic and provided with health education, group IV was given a placebo (controls), and group V consisted of egg-negative children, who also served as controls. Data from 336 students were analyzed by analysis of covariance. Parasitologic examinations showed a mean prevalence rate of 58.4% for A. lumbricoides infection in the pre-intervention children and a mean prevalence rate of 40.6% in the post-intervention children. Concerning nutritional status, approximately 80% of the children showed good scores in the pre- and post-treatment data, and only a small percentage (0.9-16.2%) showed mild or moderate malnutrition. No significant difference was found between the pre- and post-treatment nutritional status. The results of the cognitive test showed that the group treated with mebendazole showed significant improvement in the Colored Progressive Matrices and Coding test. Children also showed an improvement in their learning ability, concentration, and eye-hand coordination after five months of receiving this intervention.

The effect of praziquantel treatment on liver and spleen size of children with schistosomiasis in Napu Valley, central Sulawesi.

Forty-six school children with japonicum schistosomiasis living in a village at Napu Valley, Indonesia were treated with praziquantel at a dosage of 70 mg/kg in two divided doses in a day. The number of children with palpable liver dropped significantly from 95.6% before treatment to 58.7% after treatment. The size of the liver was reduced in the majority of cases with a virtual disappearance of cases with very large liver (10 cm). Post-treatment increase of the liver size was observed in all 8 cases with small pre-treatment livers (0.5-1 cm). In contrast to the changes of the size of the liver after treatment, the number of children with palpable spleens before and after treatment was not significantly altered.

The impact of schistosomiasis mass treatment on hepato-splenomegaly in Napu Valley, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The impact of mass treatment with praziquantel on 241 individuals, 131 males and 110 females in Napu Valley, Indonesia was studied. The pre-treatment overall stool positive cases ranged from 43% to 79%, the highest in the 20-29 age group. Post-treatment follow-up study showed that the cases dropped to 2.5%. Significant reduction was seen in liver rate from 68% to 51% and in the age groups 0-9, 10-19, there was a significant decrease in liver enlargement after treatment, but not significant differences were seen in spleen rate in all age groups. This might be due to the early stage of Schistosoma infection in younger age groups where complete resolution of fibrosis might occur.

Clinical study of Indonesian schistosomiasis at Lindu lake area, Central Sulawesi.

A brief report on the clinical studies of schistosomiasis japonica at Langko village in the Lindu lake area was given. The studies consisted of stool surveys, COPT, evaluation of the signs and symptoms of schistosomiasis, determination of the liver and spleen enlargement as well as the disease index and the clinical gradient. It seemed that the stool examinations as well as the COPT were considered sufficient, accurate and practical for mass surveys. The result of evaluation of the signs and symptoms of schistosomiasis at Lindu lake area showed that dermatitis, dysentry, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, shortness of breath, distension of the abdomen, melena, icterus, and hepatomegaly were found to be significantly different between the schistosomiasis group and the control group. This finding was almost similar to the findings reported by Billings et al. (1946) and Pesigan et al. (1958), only the frequencies of occurrence were different. The clinical gradient of schistosomiasis at Lindu lake area was mostly of the mild type of the disease.

Gnathostoma spinigerum from the cervix of a woman in Jakarta.

A male Gnathostoma spinigerum was removed from the cervix of a 29-year-old Jakarta resident who suffered from chronic cervicitis. The worm was 6.7 mm in length and had eight rows of spines on the cephalic bulb. This is the third case of gnathostomiasis reported from Indonesia.

Survey on Anisakid larvae in marine fish from fish markets in Jakarta.

Anisakid parasites were found in fish commonly sold in the markets of Jakarta. The larvae found were Anisakis type I and Terranova type B. The rate of infection of these two different Anisakid larvae infecting different species of fish was discussed. To date, no human infection has as yet reported in Indonesia. This may be due to the fact that Indonesians do not usually eat raw fish.

Larvae of Anisakidae in marine fish of coastal waters near Jakarta, Indonesia.

Three species of marine fish were collected from the waters around Seribu Islands, near Jakarta, Indonesia, and examined for nematode larvae of the family Anisakidae. Larvae were found in 719 (49%) of 1.459 Rastrelliger kanagurta, 445 (50%) of 884 Decapterus russelli, and 217 (41%) of 531 Sardinella sirm. Larvae from a subsample of 150 infected fish, 44 R. kanagurta, 86 D. russelli, and 20 S. sirm, were examined microscopically and only Anisakis type I and Terranova type B larvae were found. In all three species of fish the Anisakis larvae predominated. The Anisakis larvae found in these fish are a potential source of infection for humans in Indonesia; however, human anisakiasis has not yet been reported from this country.

Some aspects on the ecology and biology of Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis.

Schistosomiasis is known to be endemic in the lake Lindu area since 1937 (Brug & Tesch, 1937). Investigations carried out later between 1940 and 1942 (Bone et al., 1942) failed to find molluscan intermediate host. It was not until April 1971 that the first specimen of Oncomelania was found (Carney et al., 1972). In August of the same year the first focus was discovered at Paku (Hadidjaja et al., 1974). Further investigations revealed 50 more foci in the lowlands surrounding the lake. A survey of the habitat in the Napu Valley revealed 15 more Oncomelania colonies (Crney et al., in prep.). The morphology studied by Davis and Carney (1973) showed that this snail has a close resemblence to O. h. chiui and O. h. quadrasi. It was given the subspecies name Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis. Snail cultures maintained according to Davis' method (1971) were done in the laboratory of the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia. Diatoms and algae were given as food. Biology of the snails concerning the temperature, hymidity, mortality rate of the snail or survival rate and also the living and egg laying habits of the snails were described.

Serological study of amebiasis and toxoplasmosis in the Lindu Valley, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Results of a serology survey in April 1972 for Entamoeba histolytica and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies among 484 inhabitants of the isolated Lake Lindu Valley of Central Sulawesi (Celebes) are presented. Indirect hemagglutination antibody titers for amebiasis were found in over 10% of the population, although only 3.7% demonstrated significant titers of 1:128 or greater. There appeared to be no relationship between antibody titers and the age and sex of individuals tested, and the frequency distribution of antibody titers indicates a low prevalence of invasive amebiasis in the population. Indirect hemagglutination antibody titers for Toxoplasma gondii equal to or greater than 1:32 were found in 27.1% of the total population, and it appeared that the prevalence of titers increased with age in both sexes. More families with cats had Toxoplasma gondii antibody titers than families without cats.