Intestinal helminth infections caused by soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomes bring about the greatest burden of disease in poverty-stricken areas in the developing world. The most vulnerable group and the most significant contributors to disease transmission are the school-age children. While awaiting major improvements on sanitation, the recommended strategy for helminth control is school-based, teacher assisted, mass drug administration (MDA). However, millions of individuals worldwide remain afflicted with these diseases, and the Philippines is no different from many of the developing countries. The overall objective of this paper is to review current Philippine control programs and initiatives and offer evidence based recommendations for improvement. Discrepancies between parasitologic parameters and drug coverage rates pose significant challenges in the control and prevention of helminth infections in the country. School-based MDA may be scaled up after successful local initiatives, where teachers have direct participation in drug administration. There is also a need to involve the social science sector to help address the behavioral aspects of helminth control. Moreover, monitoring and evaluation of interventions through identification of success parameters will contribute to the optimization of school-based helminth control, and to strategies towards effective control of intestinal helminth infections as a public health problem in the country.
Ascaris ; Trichuris ; Schistosomiasis

This study was conducted to determine the effect of oxantel/pyrantel tablets, oxantel suspension, pyrantel dry syrup and pyrantel tablets against T. trichiurus and A. lumbricoides infections. Twenty-four cases of mixed infections of T. trichiurus and A. lumbricoides were treated with oxantel/pyrantel tablets at a single dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight, and 49 cases of single infection of T. trichiurus were administered oxantel suspension at a single dose of 15 mg/kg of body weight. On the other hand, single infection of A. lumbricoides in 18 cases was administered pyrantel dry syrup at a single dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight. In the above 91 cases, the negative conversion rate and the egg reduction rate of egg out-put before and after the drug administration were examined by the cellophane thick smear method and Stoll's egg counting technique. A follow-up examination was carried out 3-4 weeks after the drug administration. Other 59 cases of single and mixed infection of T. trichiurus and A. lumbricoides were examined by the cellophane thick smear method only and administered pyrantel tablets at a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg of body weight. The results were summarized as follows: The prevalence rates of T. trichiurus and A. lumbricoides infection in this study were 42.8% and 27.2% respectively by the cellophane thick smear method among 1,066 stool specimens. The egg negative conversion rate and the egg reduction rate in the administration of oxantel/pyrantel tablets at a single dose of 20 mg/kg body weight were 75.0% and 97.8% respectively in T. trichiurus infection and 100% each in A. lumbricoides. The egg negative conversion rate and the egg reduction rate in the administration of oxantel suspension at a single dose of 15 mg/kg body weight were 85.7% and 93.0% respectively in sinlge infection of T. trichiurus. The egg negative conversion rate and the egg reduction rate in the administration of pyrantel dry syrup at a single dose of 5 mg/kg body weight were 100% each in single infection of A. lumbricoides. The qualitative evaluation in cases of single and mixed infection of T. trichiurus and A. lumbricoides were by means of pyrantel tablets at a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight, the cure being 100% against A. lumbricoides but 17.0% against T. trichiurus. There were no undesirable side effects in this study and oxantel suspension and pyrantel dry syrup were well accepted and tolerated.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Trichuris trichiurus ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; chemotherapy ; oxantel ; pyrantel

The high incidence of intestinal parasites among the Korean people almost same as 40 years ago might be partly interpreted by the fact that they are all fond of raw vegetables cultivated on the farms fertilized with non-treated night soil. The cabbages, onions and radishes were collected from the five areas of Seoul vicinity and the number of parasites attached to those vegetables were investigated to compare with the results obtained 10 years ago by the same methods of sampling and examination as the present survey. The resultant findings were summarized as follows: The eggs of Ascaris, hookworm, Trichostrongylus and whipworm, rhabditoid larvae and filariform larvae of hookworms were detected from those vegetables. Additionally, a number of larvae of free living nematodes and morphologically undetermined eggs were also observed. The maximum number of parasites found from one vegetable were as follows: 16 Ascaris eggs on a cabbage, 27 hookworm eggs on an onion, 8 whipworm eggs on a cabbage, 68 filariform larvae of hookworm on an onion. The onions were highly contaminated by the number of parasites as much as 177.6 including the larvae of free living nematodes, the next being the cabbages with 25.3 and the radishes with 4.1 in average. No notable relationship was observed between the size of vegetables and the number of parasites attached to them. Ascaris eggs were found from 56 percent of all cabbages, 28 percent of the onions and 40 percent of the radishes; whipworm eggs were detected on 40 percent of radishes and the filariform larvae of hookworms were observed from 40 percent of onions examined. It may be concluded that there is no notable change in the number of parasites attached to the vegetables collected from the Seoul vicinity compared to the results investigated by the same method 10 years ago.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda-Ascaris ; hookworm ; Trichuris trichiura ; epidemiology ; vegetable

Usually egg count technique has been employed to know the intensity of infestation of human intestinal helminths and to elucidate the effects of anthelmintics. Comparing the three egg count methods - Stoll's egg dilution method, Beaver's direct smear method and FHK counting board method - the authors reached the following results: As the result of application of the three methods to 75 Ascaris egg positives and 95 Trichocephalus egg positives, in the case of Ascaris eggs, the egg detection rate was 99 per cent by Stoll's method, 97 per cent by Beaver's method and was lowest by FHK method at 79 percent. Meanwhile, in Trichocephalus eggs, Stoll's method revealed 92 percent, Beaver's method 95 percent, and FHK method 95 percent, there being no noticeable differences. With regard to EPG, in counting Ascaris eggs, Stoll's method showed a value closest to the actual number of eggs, and the value revealed by FHK method was smaller than the actual number. As the result of comparing the coefficiencies of variation of the three egg counting methods, both in Ascaris eggs and Trichocephalus eggs, the FHK method showed the smallest, followed by Stoll's method and Beaver's method.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; Trichuris trichiura ; diagnosis

Mebendazole was tested for its efficacy in individual treatment and mass control of Trichuris trichiura infection in Korea. The results were as follows: The efficacy of mebendazole in 430 cases 3 weeks after treatment with mebendazole(100-1,200 mg) was not so satisfactory (15.0-64.0 and 24.6-95.2% in cure and egg reduction rates respectively). But it was observed that the higher the total dose of the drug the better the efficacy. The egg positive rate of the inhabitants in mass control programme by 600 mg mebendazole decreased form 40.0 to 5.6 % during one year, May 1982-May 1983, by repeated blanket mass chemotherapy every 3 months (in conventional regimen), while the decrease was less marked or unrecognizable in 3-month (signle or two divided doses), 6-month, 12-month interval and placebo control groups. From the results, it was concluded that, although mebendazole was not highly effective in individual treatment of T. trichiura infection, it was fairly useful in mass cotrol, by repeated mass chemotherapy every 3 months.
parasitology-helmith-nematoda ; trichuriasis ; Trichuris trichiura ; chemotherapy-mebendazole ; mebendazol

The parasitic infection patterns of the Joseon period have begun to be revealed in a series of paleoparasitological studies. However, parasitism prevailing during or before the Three Kingdom period is still relatively unexplored. In the present study, we therefore conducted parasitological examinations of soil and organic-material sediments precipitated upon human hipbone and sacrum discovered inside an ancient Mokgwakmyo tomb dating to the Silla Dynasty (57 BCE–660 CE). Within the samples, we discovered ancient Ascaris lumbricoides (eggs per gram [EPG], 46.6–48.3) and Trichuris trichiura (EPG, 32.8–62.1) eggs, the species commonly detected among Korean populations until just prior to the 1970s. These findings show that soil-transmitted parasitic infection among the Silla nobility might not have been uncommon. This is the first-ever report on the presence of ancient parasite eggs in the samples obtained from a Three Kingdom period tomb; and it also presents the earliest positive results for any of the ancient South Korean tombs paleoparasitologically examined to date.
Ascaris lumbricoides ; Eggs ; Humans ; Ovum ; Parasites ; Sacrum ; Soil ; Trichuris

This article briefly reviews parasites transmitted by food materials and their diseases in Korea. They are taxonomically classified into 31 species of helminths, which include nematodes(6 species), trematodes(20), cestodes(6), and 1 species of protozoan. The food materials serving as the source of human infections are fishes, snails, crustacea, amphibia, reptiles, and mammals. These parasites include those that have been veiled by the previously common and well-known parasites such as Ascaris and Trichuris, and those that have been newly identified as human-infecting parasites. For prevention of these infections, avoidance of raw or improperly cooked foods is the most important strategy.
Amphibians ; Ascaris ; Crustacea ; Fishes ; Foodborne Diseases ; Helminths ; Humans ; Korea ; Mammals ; Parasites ; Parasitic Diseases* ; Reptiles ; Snails ; Trichuris

We present a human infection with the canine whipworm, Trichuris vulpis, in a child suffering from rhinitis with a diagnosis of rhinitis. T. vulpis eggs resemble those of T. trichiura but they can be differentiated based on their morphological features and egg size, using micrometry with an ocular micrometer. T. vulpis eggs measured an average of 90 microm by 44 microm (range 86-99 microm by 38-47 microm). Prevalence of hookworms (28.1%), Toxocara canis (11.8%), and Trichuris vulpis (3.5%) was found in 292 fecal samples of dogs collected at the peri-domicile, which showed that the risk of infection was not only fortuitous. The treatment of canine whipworm infections is similar to that of T. trichiura infection. We recommend differentiation of the 2 species for their epidemiological and prevention implications.
Animals ; Child ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Trichuriasis/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Trichuris/*isolation & purification/physiology

Trichuris trichiura, commonly referred to as a whipworm, has a worldwide distribution, particularly among countries with warm, humid climates. In Korea, trichuriasis was a highly prevalent soil-transmitted helminthiasis until the 1970s. However, the nationwide prevalence decreased to 0.02% in 2004 as a result of national control activities and improvement in the socioeconomic status of Koreans. Most infected individuals have no distinct symptoms, if lightly infected. The diagnosis is typically confirmed by detection of T. trichiura eggs on examination of a stool sample; few reports have described detection of the parasite during colonoscopy. Recently, we managed 4 patients with trichuriasis who were diagnosed by detection of the parasite on colonoscopy, and we reviewed the literature on the colonoscopic diagnosis of T. trichiura in Korea. We suggest that colonoscopy might be a useful diagnostic tool, especially when infected by only a few male worms with no eggs in the stool.
Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Colonoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Trichuriasis/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Trichuris/*cytology

The efficacy of the cellophane thick smear(CTS) technique was reassessed for detecting helminths eggs such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Clonorchis sinensis, in comparsion with the formalin-ether(F-E) one, with repeated smears per case. From the fecal samples of 411 ROK Army soldiers, a total of 3,288 smears were made and examined; 4 by CTS and 4 by F-E techniques. The expected egg detectability with one, two, three or four smears by each technique was mathemativally calculated. The results were as follows: When the results of all 8 smears per case were integrated, the number of cases eith Ascaris egg were 54(13.1%), Trichuris 125(30.4%) and Clonorchis 33(8.0%). Some other kinds of helminths eggs and protozoan cysts were found from a few cases each. The calculated detectability of Ascaris eggs by CTS technique was fairly high(95.8 - 96.3%) with 1-4 smears, while that by F-E technique was not so high(73.1 - 88.9%). In case of Trchuris eggs, the egg detectability by CTS technique with 1-4 smears was a little lower(62.2-86.4%) than that by F-E technique(73.4 - 91.2%). The detectability of Clonorchis eggs with 1-4 smears by CTS technique was the lowest(44.7 - 60.6%) among the three helminths as well as much lower than that by F-E technique(67.4 - 87.9%).
parasitology-helminth-trematoda-nemaoda ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; Trichuris trichiura ; Clonorchis sinensis ; diagnosis ; formalin ; ether