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

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 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

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 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

Present trial was carried out to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of oxantel/pyrantel tablets against intestinal nematode infections, and to determine the efficacy of oxantel tablels against Trichuris infection. A total of 34 subjects with the mixed infections were treated with oxantel/pyrantel tablets (100 mg/tablet each) in a single dose of 15 mg/kg body weight, and another group of 22 Trichuris infected cases received oxantel pamoate tablets (125 mg/tablet) in a single dose of 15 mg/kg. All stool examinations were done before the treatment and 3 weeks after the treatment. The cellophane thick smear (Kato's technique) and Stoll's dilution egg counting method were employed. The results of the trial were summarized as follows: The cure rates (egg negative conversion rates) and egg reduction rates for oxantel/pyrantel tablets were 85.3 percent and 97 percent in trichuriasis, 100 percent each in ascariasis and ancylostomiasis. The oxantel tablet treated group demonstrated a cure rate of 90.9 percent and an egg reduction rate of 96.3 percent in the treatment of Trichuris. There were no detectable objective and subjective side effects in this trial. Both oxantel/pyrantel and oxantel pamoate tablets were readily accepted and well tolerated.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Enterobius vermicularis ; Ancylostoma duodenale ; Trichuris trichiura ; chemotherapy-oxantel/pyrante ; oxantel pamoate

A total of 56 subjects with multiple nematode infections with T. trichiura, Ascaris, hookworms and Enterobius were treated with oxantel and pyrantel pamoate mixture in a paratable suspension(50 mg of each per ml). A single dose of 10 mg per kg body weight in each cured 100 per cent of 54 subjects with Ascaris, 97.1 per cent of 35 subjects with hookworms, 77.8 per cent of 36 with Enterobius and 73.2 per cent of 56 subjects with T. trichiura infestation. The mean egg per gram stool reduction rate in T. trichiura infection was 91.9%. Of the 31 subjects infected with Ancylostoma doudenale 96.8% were cured with a single dose and 4 infected with Necator americanus showed a 100% cure rate with a similar daily dose on 3 consecutive days. Side effects were few and mild. There was no clinical or laboratory evidence of drug toxicity. These findings show a single dose of oxantel and pyrantel pamoate mixture to be a highly effective and acceptable treatment for multiple infections with these nematodes.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Trichuris trichiura ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; hookworm ; Enterobius vermicularis ; chemotherapy-oxantel pamoate-pyrantel pamoate

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anthelmintic effects of fenbendazole against intestinal nematode; Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm and Trichuris trichiura, and to compare the efficacy in fenbendazole, oxantel-pyrantel pamoate and placebo by means of double blind method. Out of 114 subjects harbouring Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm and Trichuris trichiura, 36 cases were treated with single dose of fenbendazole, 38 cases with oxantel-pyrantel pamoate, and the remaining 40 cases had received the placebo. The results were as follows: In the group treated with fenbendazole (30-50 mg/kg), the cure rates were 83.9 percent in 31 subjects with Ascaris lumbricoides and 83.3 percent in 18 subjects with hookworm, and only 28.6 percent in 28 subjects with T. trichiura respectively. In the group treated with a single dose of oxantel-pyrantel pamoate (10 mg/mg), the cure rates were 96.7 percent in 30 subjects with A. lumbricoides, 95.2 percent in 21 subjects with hookworm, and 54.6 percent in 33 subjects with T. trichiura. Egg reduction rate was 85.7 percent in T. trichiura cases. On the other hand, the egg negative conversion rates in placebo group were 9.7, 8.3 and 33.3 percent in Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infections respectively. The above results showed that fenbendazole was highly effective against Ascaris and hookworm. However, incomparisom with oxantel-pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole was less effective in regards of A. lumbricoides, hookworm and T. trichiura infections.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; chemotherapy ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; hookworm ; Trichuris trichiura ; fenbendazole ; oxantel-pyrantel pamoate

Trichuriasis is an intestinal infection of human beings caused by Trichuris trichiura, more commonly known as whipworm because of its whip-like appearance. It is characterized by the invasion of the colonic mucosa by the adult trichuris. It is prevalent throughout the world, especially in tropical areas. Diagnosis is made typically by the identification of characteristic barrel-shaped eggs in the feces, although adult worms may be seen rarely at sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. We report five cases of whipworm infection that was diagnosed on colonoscopic examination.
Adult ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis* ; Eggs ; Feces ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Ovum ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Trichuriasis ; Trichuris