Intestinal parasitic infections of urban and rural children on Pemba Island: implications for control.

The intestinal parasites of the schoolchildren from one rural area and one urban area, both on Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania, were surveyed within the framework of the local Helminth Control Programme. Stool samples were examined for helminth eggs and protozoa by quantitative (Kato-Katz) and concentration (formalin-ether) techniques. The results indicate that intestinal helminthiases represent a significant public health problem in the study areas. All the subjects were found to be infected with helminths, most (> 97%) with more than one species. Hookworms and Trichuris appear to constitute the most serious challenges to the schoolchildren, both in terms of prevalence and intensity of infection. There were no significant differences between the results from the urban area and those from the rural area. The observations are important in the planning of control activities.

Arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction of individual Trichinella specimens.

Recently, 5 sibling species and 3 other phenotypes were identified in the genus Trichinella. Single primers of arbitrary nucleotide sequence were used to produce random amplified polymorphic DNA starting from decreasing amounts of Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella britovi DNA. Reproducible amplification products from 30 pg of DNA were obtained using 1 of 6 examined primers. These fragments distinguish between 2 European Trichinella species, T. spiralis, showing a 1,350-bp band, and T. britovi, showing 400- and 1,100-bp bands. The developed procedure allows the characterization of crude DNA preparations of single muscle-stage larvae, avoiding time-consuming passages of parasites in laboratory animals.

[Oxyuriasis: its indoor transmission correlated with crowding in housing]. / Ossiuriasi: trasmissione indoor correlata coll'affollamento delle abitazioni.

In two different human settings in the province of Pavia, Italy, statistically significant correlations were found between socioeconomic level of the families or crowding in the houses, and prevalence of oxyuriasis in schoolchildren. An indoor transmission is postulated.

[Epidemiology of trichinellosis in Italy and in neighboring countries]. / Epidemiologia delle trichinellosi in Italia e nei paesi confinanti.

In Italy Trichinella infection is present only in sylvatic animals, especially the fox. Nevertheless, the prevalence of this vulpine infection in Northern Italy decreased from 32% in 1960 to 4% in 1988. Other wild and synanthropic animals also promote the survival of the parasite in nature (in the wolf, bear, stray dog and cat, wild boar, Norway and black rats). At present, human infections are caused mostly by wild boar meat (11% of all cases) and by imported horse meat (43%), whereas pork does not cause infection in man, as a result of a considerable reduction in foraging swine. T. spiralis is absent in our country: only Trichinella sp. 3, less pathogenic in man, is present here. The domestic cycle disappeared in France, while the human infection caused by horse meat consumption now represents an important new health problem. In Switzerland there are no human infections due to consumption of local meat; at present the parasite infects only wild animals. The domestic cycle also disappeared in Austria and at present the parasite survives only in wild mammals especially the fox and the wild boar. On the other hand, in Yugoslavia there are many human cases caused both by domestic and sylvatic cycles.

Cephalosporins. VII. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of new cephalosporins bearing a 2-imino-3-hydroxythiazoline (2-aminothiazole N-oxide) in the C-7 acylamino side chain.

Introduction of a hydroxyl group into the thiazole ring nitrogen of cephalosporins belonging to the cefotiam and cefotaxime families gave rise to products, better described by the tautomeric N-oxide form, which proved particularly active against Gram-negative bacteria. Cephems bearing a (Z)-alkoxyimino functionality are of special interest for broadness of spectrum; among them, 7 beta-[(Z)-2-(2-amino-4-thiazolyl-N-oxide)-2 -methoxyiminoacetamido]-3-(tetrazolo-[1,5-b] pyridazin-6-yl)thiomethyl-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid (5c-7, FCE 20635), in other ways similar to cefotaxime, showed useful levels of activity against cephalosporinase-producing strains resistant to the reference drug. Preliminary in vivo studies demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of the new compound in the treatment of experimental systemic, subcutaneous and urinary tract infections in mice.