Caryn Bern

..Our data confirm strong clustering and suggest that insecticide-treated nets could be effective in preventing kala-azar...

..The CRP levels were higher in kala-azar patients compared with the other two groups. Low red meat intake and poor zinc and retinol status may characterize a group at higher risk of symptomatic disease...

..0001), no ART (P<.0001), and cryptosporidiosis (P=.004) but not with microsporidiosis (P=.48). Our data suggest the possibility of zoonotic E. bieneusi transmission and an association with poor sanitary conditions...

..Because of population migration from endemic areas and newly instituted blood bank screening, US clinicians are likely to see an increasing number of patients with suspected or confirmed chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection (Chagas disease)...

..To describe new developments in blood-bank screening and management of patients with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the United States...

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..T. cruzi causes a substantial disease burden in the United States...

..Studies performed over the past decade have identified fairly consistent epidemiological patterns of risk factors for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent...

..parvum antigens. Antibody responses were not associated with infections with either Cyclospora sp. or Giardia sp. We believe the antibody assays will be important tools for monitoring the success of future public health interventions...

..Thus, there is a high genetic diversity of E. bieneusi in humans in Peru, and zoonotic transmission is possible if humans are in close contact with infected animals...

..Future work needs to focus on understanding the implications of KA on women and to develop sustainable strategies for appropriate and timely access to treatment...

..felis infections; 6 patients were infected with 2 Cryptosporidium spp. and 1 patient with 3 species. Mixed infections may occur more frequently than previously believed and should be considered when assessing cryptosporidiosis...

..Control strategies for VL should facilitate timely, affordable diagnosis and treatment of patients to decrease the infection reservoir and to alleviate the economic burden of VL on households...

..genotypes or subtypes. These findings strongly suggest that Cryptosporidium spp. and subtypes are linked to different clinical manifestations in children...

..infantum study antigen sensitivity was 70% compared with L. amazonensis antigen. Our data underscore the need for better production, standardization, and documentation of sensitivity, potency, and stability of leishmanin antigens...

..To decrease the KA burden in endemic areas, community efforts should be supplemented with effective treatment programs to ensure access to appropriate and affordable diagnosis and case management...

..The incidence rate determined by the serologic assay was higher than the rate determined by stool microscopy (0.77 versus 0.41 infection/child-year of surveillance)...

..parvum was associated with chronic diarrhea and vomiting. These results demonstrate that different Cryptosporidium genotypes and subtype families are linked to different clinical manifestations...

..Patients with Chagas disease have migrated to cities, where obesity, hypertension and other cardiac risk factors are common...

..We conducted a study of congenital Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Our objective was to apply new tools to identify weak points in current screening algorithms, and find ways to improve them...

..5%) were also found. These findings indicate that C. hominis is the predominant species in Peruvian HIV-positive persons, and that zoonotic Cryptosporidium spp. account for about 30% of cryptosporidiosis in these patients...

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..The low sensitivity in Peru may be related to parasite strain differences. Chagas disease rapid tests should be field tested in each geographic site before widespread implementation for screening...

..Vector control campaigns disrupt transmission of T. cruzi, but without timely diagnosis, children infected prior to vector control often miss the window of opportunity for effective chemotherapy...

..cruzi-infected triatomines were clustered. Keeping small animals in wire mesh cages could facilitate control of T. infestans in this densely populated urban environment...

..The sorted material appeared to be sufficiently pure and could be used for in vitro culture and for the development of a variety of diagnostic reagents as well as in studying the genome of E. bieneusi and host-parasite interactions...

..The formation of the two sub-populations was confirmed by STRUCTURE and Wright's fixation index (FST) analyses. The data highlight the power of MLST in understanding the epidemiology of E. bieneusi...

..We recommend carefully supervised spraying with DDT, surveillance to pinpoint other affected villages, and efforts to increase availability of diagnostic and treatment facilities...

..Such an approach may provide a suitable, sensitive, and economical alternative to the cumbersome stool collection methods that have previously been used for evaluation of water and sanitation projects...

..The public health community should work to broaden access to preferential liposomal amphotericin B pricing by public sector VL treatment programs...

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..A sensitive, specific and practical screening test for newborns is needed to enable Chagas disease to be added to newborn screening programs...

..CONCLUSIONS: The MMA for cytokines is an extremely time-and sample-efficient method for characterizing circulating cytokine levels in visceral leishmaniasis patients...

..1). Our findings suggest that reproductive-age women, especially rural farmers, should be included among the high priority groups for helminth control programs through mass chemotherapy and improving sanitation...

..These data confirm that G. duodenalis from certain animals can potentially infect humans and should be useful in the detection, differentiation, and taxonomy of Giardia spp...

..Botswana has high HIV prevalence among pregnant women (33.4% in 2005), and an estimated 35% of all infants under the age of 6 months are not breastfed...

..Cryptosporidiosis was more frequent in children from houses without a latrine or toilet. Cyclosporiasis was associated with ownership of domestic animals, especially birds, guinea pigs, and rabbits...

..Public investment in treatment and control would decrease the leishmaniasis disease burden and help to alleviate poverty...

..04 for each one-year increase, 95% CI = 1.02-1.06) were associated with an increased risk of a positive S. stercoralis ELISA result. The ELISA had a negative predictive value of 98% and is an excellent screening test for strongyloidiasis...

..981). Giardia was not associated with an increased risk of diarrhea at any age interval. Study results question the importance of Giardia as a childhood pathogen in developing countries where giardiasis is hyperendemic...

..Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi infection, is an urban problem in Arequipa, Peru, and the epidemiology of Chagas disease is likely to be quite different in this area, compared with in rural zones...

..Molecular typing in splenic aspirates showed L. infantum (six) and L. donovani (one). Local transmission resulted from multiple introductions, is now well established, and will be difficult to eradicate...

..Hygiene education, better point-of-use treatment and storage options, and in-house water connections are urgently needed...

..There has not been a concurrent decrease in morbidity rates attributable to diarrhoea. As population growth is focused in the poorest areas, the total morbidity component of the disease burden is greater than previously...

..6 to 40.5. Impregnated netting can slow the spread of T. infestans and is a potentially valuable tool in the control of Chagas disease...

..Other risk factors in women included having > 3 children and having a child < 24 months old. In men, no variables were found significantly associated with anemia...