Trichinella infection in travelers

Article Abstract:

Trichinosis is caused by eating raw or uncooked meat, especially pork, that is contaminated with worm larvae called Trichinella spiralis. Once inside the human body, the larvae hatch and mature into adult worms. The female worms release more larvae that travel throughout the body. The symptoms of trichinosis are fever, muscle pain, edema (excess fluid in tissues), and eosinophilia (high white blood cell count). An average of 57 cases of trichinosis occurred each year between 1982 and 1986 in the United States. This figure can be contrast with the average 402 cases per year and 57 deaths that occurred between 1947 and 1951. In order to determine the incidence of trichinosis in people who travel to other parts of the world, the case reports of trichinosis reported to the Centers for Disease Control were reviewed. Between 1975 and 1989, a total of 26 cases of travel-related trichinosis were reported. Seventy-three percent of these cases occurred between 1982 and 1987. Sixty-five percent of the people who developed trichinosis had traveled to Mexico or to Asian countries. Risk factors that were associated with trichinosis included eating undercooked pork, unsanitary cooking habits, and importing contaminated meat into the United States. It is recommended that travelers be counseled or warned about the dangers of eating undercooked meat. A recent traveler who develops fever, muscle pain and eosinophilia should be suspected of having trichinosis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Travel, Risk factors, Disease transmission, Helminths, Trichinosis, Trichinella spiralis

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Serodiagnosis of invasive amebiasis using a recombinant Entamoeba histolytica protein

Article Abstract:

Entamoeba histolytica, a parasite that causes approximately 40 million cases of invasive amebiasis (amebic dysentery, and sometimes liver infection) per year. Blood testing to diagnose the disease is problematic, because once patients have been infected, they may continue to test positive for the disease for years afterward. New techniques have helped, but even with these, positive tests persist for six months or more after infection. A new method of detecting E. histolytica was evaluated. Western blot analysis was used to detect the presence of a protein, serine-rich E. histolytica (SREHP), that is present only in the ameba. The method was tested on 108 serum samples taken from 106 patients in four locations in three countries. It was found that antibodies to SREHP are found among most patients with amebic liver abscess, regardless of geographic location. Failure to detect antibodies in 18 percent of patients may indicate that these patients were unable to produce antibodies to SREHP, or perhaps that some strains of E. histolytica are genetically different. This method is both easy to use and inexpensive, and has considerable advantages in countries with limited resources. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Usage, Diagnosis, Western immunoblotting, Western blot, Amebiasis, Entamoeba histolytica

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