International journal of zoonoses最新文献

In an attempt to lay the background work of immunodiagnosis of human leishmaniasis in Taiwan, the usefulness of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection serum antibodies in large regional groups was studied. Antigens were prepared from promastigotes of Leishmania tropica major recently isolated in our laboratory by Chao. One hundred and sixty-five serum samples were collected from medical students of National Yang-Ming Medical College (YM), Taipei, 61 from residents of San-hsing District (SH), I-lan County, 9 from residents of Wu-lai District (WL), Taipei County, 2 from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, 6 from laboratory workers in the Department of Parasitology (LW), National Yang-Ming Medical College, and 1 from a patient with the history of hypersensitive to mosquito bites. The result of the ELISA were analyzed statically. YM students had the lowest serum antibody levels to this parasite. The laboratory workers and the SH residents had a significantly higher antibody prevalence rate than the YM students, but a significantly lower rate than positive patients. Positive/pseudopositive rate in non-patient groups was 0.82%. Tracing of these two suspected cases are in progress. The regional high antibody levels in the SH residents suggest that a risk of human leishmaniasis may be significant in the population tested. Using our antigen preparations we demonstrated that the ELISA is sensitive, rapid, and easy to perform and is therefore useful in screening and detecting of circulating anti-leishmania antibodies in serosurvey of large sample size.

A serosurvey for evidence of rickettsial infections was conducted in the rural populations of several tropical rain forest areas in Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. Seropositivity rates were surprisingly high in both countries, with more than 7% of the individuals in some districts having antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. No significant difference was found in the overall prevalence of diagnostic antibody titers to spotted fever-group rickettsiae in Sierra Leone (5.3%) and Ivory Coast (6.2%). However, there was a significant difference (p less than 0.001) in the prevalence of diagnostic antibody titers to typhus rickettsiae in the two countries. There were no marked geographic differences within either country in overall prevalence of rickettsial infections, but there were possible area differences in specific seropositivity rates to typhus- and spotted fever-group rickettsiae in Sierra Leone. In both countries, age and sex differences were important in determining seropositivity, but there was no indication of an age-sex interaction. In Sierra Leone, 59 of the 80 positive sera (73.8%) were from persons age 15 or above (p less than 0.001), and 50 of the 80 (62.5%) were from males (p = 0.05). In Ivory Coast, 33 of the 37 positive sera (89.2%) were from the greater than or equal to 15-age group, and 28 of the 37 (75.7%) were from males (p less than 0.001 for both age and sex). The identification of specific areas endemic for these rickettsial diseases should facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of patients with rickettsial illnesses in West Africa.

A total of 942 slaughtered cattle at Nsukka, Enugu, Abakaliki, Nkalagu and Onitsha slaughter houses were examined for evidence of Cysticercus bovis infection. 430 animals (45.65 per cent) were in the 2-4 year age group. 38 animals had cysticerci in their tissues. Out of the 38 infected cattle 26 (68.42 per cent) were in the 2-4 year group. Of these 26 cattle, 20 (76.92 per cent) had viable cysts in parts of their body while 6 (23.1 per cent) had dead cysts. 2 out of the infected 20 cattle had viable cysts in the liver but only one had viable cysts in the lung. The number of cysts found per carcase was between 1 and 5.23 (60.53 per cent) of the 38 infected carcases had single infection and 15 (39.47 per cent) had multiple infection. Most commonly infected parts were the heart, tongue, masseter muscle, diaphragm with its pillar, muscle of arm, muscle of thigh, liver, oesophagus and lung in that order. The prevalent rates for Nsukka, Enugu, Abakaliki, Nkalagu, Onitsha slaughter houses were 4.35 per cent, 3.2 per cent, 4.10 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 4.07 per cent respectively. Bovine cysticercosis infection in cattle can be controlled by environmental sanitation and through meat inspection done by well trained meat inspectors.

Haematological investigation was conducted on 20 cases of bovine trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma congolense and T. vivax in imported Holstein-Friesian cattle using standard techniques. Comparison of the results with the values obtained for clinically normal animals whose blood samples were consistently negative for trypanosomes indicated that natural bovine trypanosomiasis was associated with a significant (P less than 0.001) fall in haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume and numbers of erythrocytes. Slight reduction in the number of leucocytes, eosinophils, monocytes and basophils was recorded. No significant change (P greater than 0.001) was observed in the number of lymphocytes and neutrophils between naturally infected and control Holstein-Friesian animals.

The prevalence and distribution of Taenia saginata cysticercosis in Anambra State, Nigeria, was determined from analysis of official slaughterhouse records for 1973 to 1979 and from a special survey conducted at a typical slaughter slab in the State during September to December 1980. Of the 374,541 officially inspected cattle, 1,538 (0.41 percent) were positive for cysticerci. The special survey suggested that this apparently low infection rate underestimates the true extent of infection in slaughter cattle in the State. There was a highly significant negative correlation (r = -0.9921; p less than 0.001) between age and infection rate in 2 to 5 year old cattle and no cysticerci were found in older animals. This was partly responsible for the rather low prevalence rates in the predominantly very old animals slaughtered in the State and suggests that the age at which cattle are slaughtered may influence the numbers of viable cysts and of infected animals which can be detected at routine meat inspection.

Five cases of dumb rabies were examined, quarantined and observed from the time of presentation until death. Two of the dogs bit four people, three children and an adult. Ages of dogs ranged from eight weeks to 30 months. Only one of these dogs had been vaccinated against rabies. One dog out of the five was simultaneously affected with trypanosomiasis and inapparent rabies. The predominant diagnostic clinical signs were conjunctival congestion, glazed eyes and idiopathic ataxia. Postmortem examination was performed on two dogs. Rabies was confirmed by the finding of Negri bodies in brain smears and by the mouse inoculation test (MIT).

The examination of 317 nomadic cattle infiltrating into the Kainji Lake National Park revealed seven tick species, Ambylomma variegatum, Boophilus decolaratus, B. annulatus, Hylomma aegyptium, Rhipicephalus appendiculata?, R. everti, R. simus senegalensis, one mite Demodex bovis and a lice species Damalina bovis. These ectoparasites have the ability of attaching to wild animals of the park in particular the two host and three host tick species Hylomma sp., Rhipicephalus spp. and Ambylomma sp. The endoparasites include nine nematodes species, five trematodes and eimeria sp. The occurrence of these endoparasites is an indication of the risk of cross-infection because similar helminth fauna have been reported in wild animals of the park. It is concluded that the need to prevent entry of cattle into the park should be encouraged because of the pasture contamination and potential risk of cross parasitic infection between the domestic cattle and wild animals of the park.

Eleven species of flies were found to land indiscriminately on fresh fish in fish monger's sheds. They include Musca domestica, M. lusoria, Fannia canicularis, Stomoxys calcitran, Lyperosia minuta, Chrysomia chloropyga, C. bezziana, Gastrophilus ovis, Tabanus sp, Lucilia cuprina and Sacrophaga haemorrhoidalis. The public health significance of promiscuous landing of flies on fresh fish in relation to disease and fish spoilage are discussed.