Population dynamics and chemotherapeutic control of Trichuris trichiura infection of children in Jamaica and St. Lucia

ABSTRACT

Population dynamical parameters of Trichuris trichiura infections in children were estimated from longitudinal intensity and prevalence data from a population (n=23) in a children's home in Jamaica. The theoretical predictions of a deterministic model incorporating these parameters were approximated to observe horizontal-age prevalence data from a naturally infected population (n=203) of children in a St. Lucian village, and a rough estimate of the basic reproductive rate (Ro=8-10) of T. trichiura obtained. The findings suggest that T. trichiura populations are intrinsically more difficult to control by traditional mass-treatment chemotherapy (eradication requires >91 percent of the population to be treated every 6 months for >5 years) than are populations of Ascaris, but may be more susceptible to selective chemotherapy programmes which aim to treat only the most heavily infected individuals (AU)