Articles

Deworming of stray dogs and wild canines with praziquantel-laced baits delivered by an unmanned aerial vehicle in areas highly endemic for echinococcosis in China

Canines, the definitive hosts for the parasites causing alveolar (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE), are the main source of this infections playing the key role in the transmission. The ten-year mortality rat...

Authors: Qing Yu, Ning Xiao, Shi-jie Yang and Shuai Han

Erratum to: Comparative evaluation of the diagnosis, reporting and investigation of malaria cases in China, 2005–2014: transition from control to elimination for the national malaria programme

Authors: Jun-Ling Sun, Sheng Zhou, Qi-Bin Geng, Qian Zhang, Zi-Ke Zhang, Can-Jun Zheng, Wen-Biao Hu, Archie C.A. Clements, Sheng-Jie Lai and Zhong-Jie Li

Praziquantel decreases fecundity in Schistosoma mansoni adult worms that survive treatment: evidence from a laboratory life-history trade-offs selection study

Mass drug administration of praziquantel is the World Health Organization’s endorsed control strategy for schistosomiasis. A decade of annual treatments across sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in significant re...

Authors: Poppy H.L. Lamberton, Christina L. Faust and Joanne P. Webster

Habitat productivity and pyrethroid susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is the main vector of the dengue virus globally. Dengue vector control is mainly based on reducing the vector population through interventions, which...

Authors: Leah Mathias, Vito Baraka, Anitha Philbert, Ester Innocent, Filbert Francis, Gamba Nkwengulila and Eliningaya J. Kweka

Urgent needs in fostering neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) laboratory capacity in WHO Western Pacific Region: results from the external quality assessment on NTDs diagnosis in 2012–2015

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a heterogeneous group of mainly chronic, debilitating and often stigmatizing diseases that largely affects low-income and politically marginalized populations, causing a ...

Authors: Yan Lu, Glenda Gonzales, Shao-Hong Chen, Hao Li, Yu-Chun Cai, Yan-Hong Chu, Lin Ai, Mu-Xin Chen, Hai-Ning Chen and Jia-Xu Chen

Pigsties near dwellings as a potential risk factor for the prevalence of Japanese encephalitis virus in adult in Shanxi, China

The increasing trend of adult cases of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in China, particularly in northern China, has become an important public health issue. We conducted an epidemiological investigation in the sou...

Authors: Xiaojie Ren, Shihong Fu, Peifang Dai, Huanyu Wang, Yuanyuan Li, Xiaolong Li, Wenwen Lei, Xiaoyan Gao, Ying He, Zhi Lv, Jingxia Cheng, Guiqin Wang and Guodong Liang

Spatial and temporal distribution of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in Acre state, Brazil

Acre has reported the highest incidence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in Brazil in recent years. The present study seeks to identify high and low risk agglomerations of ACL in space and space-time ...

Authors: Leonardo Augusto Kohara Melchior, Andréia Fernandes Brilhante and Francisco Chiaravalloti-Neto

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax revealed by the merozoite surface protein-1 icb5-6 fragment

Plasmodium vivax remains a potential cause of morbidity and mortality for people living in its endemic areas. Understanding the genetic diversity of P. vivax from different regions is ...

Authors: Wei Ruan, Ling-ling Zhang, Yan Feng, Xuan Zhang, Hua-liang Chen, Qiao-yi Lu, Li-nong Yao and Wei Hu

C-reactive protein is differentially modulated by co-existing infections, vitamin deficiencies and maternal factors in pregnant and lactating indigenous Panamanian women

The usefulness of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a non-specific marker of inflammation during pregnancy and lactation is unclear in impoverished populations where co-existing infections and vitamin deficiencies a...

Authors: Doris González-Fernández, Emérita del Carmen Pons, Delfina Rueda, Odalis Teresa Sinisterra, Enrique Murillo, Marilyn E. Scott and Kristine G. Koski

Active case-finding for tuberculosis by mobile teams in Myanmar: yield and treatment outcomes

Since 2005, the Myanmar National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) has been implementing active case finding (ACF) activities involving mobile teams in hard-to-reach areas. This study revealed the contribution of m...

Authors: Ohnmar Myint, Saw Saw, Petros Isaakidis, Mohammed Khogali, Anthony Reid, Nguyen Binh Hoa, Thi Thi Kyaw, Ko Ko Zaw, Tin Mi Mi Khaing and Si Thu Aung

The impact of poverty on dog ownership and access to canine rabies vaccination: results from a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey, Uganda 2013

Rabies is a neglected disease despite being responsible for more human deaths than any other zoonosis. A lack of adequate human and dog surveillance, resulting in low prioritization, is often blamed for this p...

Authors: Ryan MacLaren Wallace, Jason Mehal, Yoshinori Nakazawa, Sergio Recuenco, Barnabas Bakamutumaho, Modupe Osinubi, Victor Tugumizemu, Jesse D. Blanton, Amy Gilbert and Joseph Wamala

Development of a health education intervention strategy using an implementation research method to control taeniasis and cysticercosis in Burkina Faso

Taeniasis and cysticercosis are two diseases caused by Taenia solium, a parasite transmitted between humans and pigs, leading to considerable economic loss and disabilities. Transmission of the parasite is linked...

Authors: Helena Ngowi, Ivan Ozbolt, Athanase Millogo, Veronique Dermauw, Télesphore Somé, Paul Spicer, Lori L. Jervis, Rasmané Ganaba, Sarah Gabriel, Pierre Dorny and Hélène Carabin

Prevalence of autoantibodies against cellular antigens in patients with HIV and leprosy coinfection in the Amazon region

Infectious agents can activate self-reactive T cells. In general, infections trigger various mechanisms, including a lack of auto-tolerance, induction of costimulatory molecules on antigen presenting cells, an...

Authors: Clea Nazaré Carneiro Bichara, Carlos David Araújo Bichara, Camila Tostes, Marinete Marins Povoa, Juarez Antonio Simões Quaresma and Marília Brasil Xavier

Experimental infections of mosquitoes with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a newly identified emerging infectious disease, which is caused by a novel bunyavirus (termed SFTSV) in Asia. Although mosquitoes have not been identified ...

Authors: Shu-Yi Liang, Hong-Liang Chu, Xi-Ling Guo, Wei Wang, Hong-Na Chen, Yu-Fu Zhang, Yin Chen, Tao Wu, Chang-Jun Bao and Ming-Hao Zhou

The strategic framework of tuberculosis control and prevention in the elderly: a scoping review towards End TB targets

With the rapid pace of population ageing, tuberculosis (TB) in the elderly increasingly becomes a public health challenge. Despite the increasing burden and high risks for TB in the elderly, targeted strategy ...

Authors: Jun Li, Pui-Hong Chung, Cyrus L. K. Leung, Nobuyuki Nishikiori, Emily Y. Y. Chan and Eng-Kiong Yeoh

Post-2015, why delay to seek healthcare? Perceptions and field experiences from TB healthcare providers in northern Malawi: a qualitative study

Malawi is a low-income country with high Tuberculosis (TB) burden. TB diagnosis delay and untimely initiation of treatment is still a major problem in Malawi which could increase the risk of tuberculosis trans...

Authors: Nathan B. W. Chimbatata, Chang-Ming Zhou, Chikondi M. Chimbatata and Biao Xu

Rebuilding transformation strategies in post-Ebola epidemics in Africa

Rebuilding transformation strategies in post-Ebola epidemics in West Africa requires long-term surveillance and strengthening health system preparedness to disease outbreak. This paper assesses reconstruction ...

Authors: Ernest Tambo, Chryseis F. Chengho, Chidiebere E. Ugwu, Isatta Wurie, Jeannetta K. Jonhson and Jeanne Y. Ngogang

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in chicken and soil of chicken farms in Nanjing region, China

Soil is increasingly recognized as an important source in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of T. gondii in the soil and to grasp the relatio...

Authors: Xin-Chao Liu, Yu He, Deng-Ge Han, Zhen-Chao Zhang, Ke Li, Shuai Wang, Li-Xin Xu, Ruo-Feng Yan and Xiang-Rui Li

Molecular phylogeny of Anopheles hyrcanus group (Diptera: Culicidae) based on mtDNA COI

The Anopheles hyrcanus group, which includes at least 25 species, is widely distributed in the Oriental and Palearctic regions. Some group members have been incriminated as vectors of malaria and other mosquito-b...

Authors: Yuan Fang, Wen-Qi Shi and Yi Zhang

Infectious Diseases of Poverty, the first five years

Although the focus in the area of health research may be shifting from infectious to non-communicable diseases, the infectious diseases of poverty remain a major burden of disease of global health concern. A g...

Authors: Wei Wang, Jin Chen, Hui-Feng Sheng, Na-Na Wang, Pin Yang, Xiao-Nong Zhou and Robert Bergquist

Dynamics of freshwater snails and Schistosoma infection prevalence in schoolchildren during the construction and operation of a multipurpose dam in central Côte d’Ivoire

The construction and operation of small multipurpose dams in Africa have a history of altering the transmission of water-based diseases, including schistosomiasis. The current study was designed to investigate...

Authors: Nana R. Diakité, Mirko S. Winkler, Jean T. Coulibaly, Négnorogo Guindo-Coulibaly, Jürg Utzinger and Eliézer K. N’Goran

A neglected risk for sparganosis: eating live tadpoles in central China

A 29-year-old farmer from central China was sent into the Emergency Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. He had a 15-day history of persistent high fever, abdominal distention and pai...

Authors: Jing Cui, Ye Wang, Xi Zhang, Xi-Meng Lin, Hong-Wei Zhang, Zhong-Quan Wang and Jia-Xu Chen

Efficacy of radiotherapy for the treatment of cystic echinococcosis in naturally infected sheep

Radiotherapy is commonly used to treat cancers. To date, there has been no study focusing on the effects of radiotherapy on hydatid disease in large animals. In this study, we aim to investigate the efficiency...

Authors: Rui Mao, Wen-Bao Zhang, Hong-Zhi Qi, Tao Jiang, Ge Wu, Peng-Fei Lu, Abudula Ainiwaer, Ge Shang, Lin Xu, Jie Hao, Xi Shou, Hai-Tao Li, Jun Li, Song-An Zhang, Yong-Xing Bao and Hao Wen

Multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of Chinese Brucella strains isolated from 1953 to 2013

Brucellosis was a common human and livestock disease caused by Brucella strains, the category B priority pathogens by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). Identified as a priority disease in human and livesto...

Authors: Guo-Zhong Tian, Bu-Yun Cui, Dong-Ri Piao, Hong-Yan Zhao, Lan-Yu Li, Xi Liu, Pei Xiao, Zhong-Zhi Zhao, Li-Qing Xu, Hai Jiang and Zhen-Jun Li

Correlation between therapy and lipid profile of leprosy patients: is there a higher risk for developing cardiovascular diseases after treatment?

The impact of leprosy reduces health-related quality of life of affected patients, interfering with different factors such as nutrition. This study investigated the lipid profile, nutritional status, and risk ...

Authors: Rosalba V. G. Silva, Rafael S. de Araújo, Tinara L. S. Aarão, Paulo Diovanne da Silva Costa, Jorge R. Sousa and Juarez A. S. Quaresma

Effect of temperature on the Bulinus globosus — Schistosoma haematobium system

Given that increase in temperature may alter host-parasite relationships, the anticipated rise in temperature due to global warming might change transmission patterns of certain diseases. However, the extent t...

Authors: Chester Kalinda, Moses J. Chimbari and Samson Mukaratirwa

Commentary: restarting NTD programme activities after the Ebola outbreak in Liberia

It is widely known that the recent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa caused a serious disruption to the national health system, with many of ongoing disease focused programmes, such as mass drug adminis...

Authors: Brent C. Thomas, Karsor Kollie, Benjamin Koudou and Charles Mackenzie

Pattern analysis of schistosomiasis prevalence by exploring predictive modeling in Jiangling County, Hubei Province, P.R. China

The prevalence of schistosomiasis remains a key public health issue in China. Jiangling County in Hubei Province is a typical lake and marshland endemic area. The pattern analysis of schistosomiasis prevalence...

Authors: Shang Xia, Jing-Bo Xue, Xia Zhang, He-Hua Hu, Eniola Michael Abe, David Rollinson, Robert Bergquist, Yibiao Zhou, Shi-Zhu Li and Xiao-Nong Zhou

Malaria elimination in Lao PDR: the challenges associated with population mobility

Although the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is comparatively small landlocked country with patterns of both in- and out-migration, its human migration situation has been poorly studied. This is des...

Authors: Sengchanh Kounnavong, Deyer Gopinath, Bouasy Hongvanthong, Chanthalone Khamkong and Odai Sichanthongthip

Malaria profiles and challenges in artemisinin resistance containment in Myanmar

This study examined evolving malaria profiles from January, 2010 to December, 2014 to evaluate achievements and challenges of implementing measures to prevent and control spread of artemisinin resistance in My...

Authors: Thet Wai Nwe, Tin Oo, Khin Thet Wai, Shuisen Zhou, Johan van Griensven, Palanivel Chinnakali, Safieh Shah and Aung Thi

Implementing the communication for development strategy to improve knowledge and coverage of measles vaccination in western Chinese immunization programs: a before-and-after evaluation

Communication for Development (C4D) is a strategy promoted by the United Nations Children’s Fund to foster positive and measurable changes at the individual, family, community, social, and policy levels of soc...

Authors: Ming Lu, Yao-Zhu Chu, Wen-Zhou Yu, Robert Scherpbier, Yu-Qing Zhou, Xu Zhu, Qi-Ru Su, Meng-Juan Duan, Xuan Zhang, Fu-Qiang Cui, Hua-Qing Wang, Yi-Biao Zhou and Qing-Wu Jiang

Assessing environmental factors associated with regional schistosomiasis prevalence in Anhui Province, Peoples’ Republic of China using a geographical detector method

Schistosomiasis is a water-borne disease caused by trematode worms belonging to genus Schistosoma, which is prevalent most of the developing world. Transmission of the disease is usually associated with multiple ...

Authors: Yi Hu, Congcong Xia, Shizhu Li, Michael P. Ward, Can Luo, Fenghua Gao, Qizhi Wang, Shiqing Zhang and Zhijie Zhang

Nested-PCR assay for detection of Schistosoma japonicum infection in domestic animals

Schistosomiasis japonica is a common zoonosis. Domestic animals are the primary source of infection and play an important role in disease transmission. The prevalence and infectivity of this disease in domesti...

Authors: Xin Zhang, Chuan-Chuan He, Jin-Ming Liu, Hao Li, Ke Lu, Zhi-Qiang Fu, Chuan-Gang Zhu, Yi-Ping Liu, Lai-Bao Tong, De-bao Zhou, Li Zha, Yang Hong, Ya-Mei Jin and Jiao-Jiao Lin

Putting the treatment of paediatric schistosomiasis into context

Despite increased international efforts to control schistosomiasis using preventive chemotherapy, several challenges still exist in reaching the target populations. Until recently, preschool-aged children had ...

Authors: Takafira Mduluza and Francisca Mutapi

A novel colloidal gold immunochromatography assay strip for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica in domestic animals

Schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern in China and an epidemiological survey has revealed that schistosome-infected bovines and goats are the main transmission sources for the disease. Therefor...

Authors: Rui Xu, Jintao Feng, Yang Hong, Chao Lv, Dengyun Zhao, Jiaojiao Lin, Ke Lu, Hao Li, Jinming Liu, Xiaodan Cao, Tao Wang, Jinli Zai, Zhaozhe Wang, Bingguang Jia, Qian Han and Chuangang Zhu

Efficacy of praziquantel on Schistosoma haematobium and re-infection rates among school-going children in the Ndumo area of uMkhanyakude district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Despite its low cure rates and possible resistance, praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug available for schistosomiasis treatment. Hence, monitoring its efficacy is crucial. This study assessed the efficacy of P...

Authors: Muhubiri Kabuyaya, Moses John Chimbari, Tawanda Manyangadze and Samson Mukaratirwa

Interruption of schistosomiasis transmission in mountainous and hilly regions with an integrated strategy: a longitudinal case study in Sichuan, China

Schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern in China. Since 2004, an integrated strategy was developed to control the transmission of Schistosoma japonicum in China. However, the long-term effectiveness...

Authors: Yang Liu, Bo Zhong, Zi-Song Wu, Song Liang, Dong-Chuan Qiu and Xiao Ma

Psychosocial impact of scars due to cutaneous leishmaniasis on high school students in Errachidia province, Morocco

In Morocco, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is usually known to be a slowly healing localized skin disease, but in some cases, it can lead to mutilating scars. The outbreak of CL due to Leishmania major in the Errac...

Authors: Issam Bennis, Séverine Thys, Hind Filali, Vincent De Brouwere, Hamid Sahibi and Marleen Boelaert

Selecting accurate post-elimination monitoring tools to prevent reemergence of urogenital schistosomiasis in Morocco: a pilot study

After alleged stop of transmission of schistosomiasis and further down the line in post elimination settings, sensitive tools are required to monitor infection status to prevent potential re-emergence. In Raha...

Authors: Abdelaali Balahbib, Fatima Amarir, Paul L.A.M. Corstjens, Claudia J. de Dood, Govert J. van Dam, Amina Hajli, Meryem Belhaddad, Bouchra El Mansouri, Abderrahim Sadak, Mohamed Rhajaoui and El Bachir Adlaoui

The causal relationship between neurocysticercosis infection and the development of epilepsy - a systematic review

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the human central nervous system, the most common form of which involves infection of the brain parenchyma with the larval form of the Taenia solium tapeworm. ...

Authors: Lucy B. Gripper and Susan C. Welburn

The cross-cutting contribution of the end of neglected tropical diseases to the sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for an integrated response, the kind that has defined Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) efforts in the past decade.

Authors: Mathieu Bangert, David H. Molyneux, Steve W. Lindsay, Christopher Fitzpatrick and Dirk Engels

Fish sharing as a risk factor for Opisthorchis viverrini infection: evidence from two villages in north-eastern Thailand

Foodborne trematodiasis (FBT) is a significant global health problem, with the liver flukes Opisthorchis viverrini, O. felineus, and Clonorchis sinensis contributing to half of the global burden of FBT. North-eas...

Authors: Parichat Saenna, Cameron Hurst, Pierre Echaubard, Bruce A. Wilcox and Banchob Sripa

Prolonged parasite clearance in a Chinese splenectomized patient with falciparum malaria imported from Nigeria

The spleen plays a pivotal role in the rapid clearance of parasitized red blood cells in patients with falciparum malaria after artemisinin treatment. Prolonged parasite clearance can be found in patients who ...

Authors: Hong-Wei Zhang, San-Jin Li, Tao Hu, Yong-Min Yu, Cheng-Yun Yang, Rui-Min Zhou, Ying Liu, Jing Tang, Jing-Jing Wang, Xiu-Yun Wang, Yong-Xiang Sun, Zhan-Chun Feng and Bian-Li Xu

Malaria over-diagnosis in Cameroon: diagnostic accuracy of Fluorescence and Staining Technologies (FAST) Malaria Stain and LED microscopy versus Giemsa and bright field microscopy validated by polymerase chain reaction

Malaria is a major world health issue and its continued burden is due, in part, to difficulties in the diagnosis of the illness. The World Health Organization recommends confirmatory testing using microscopy-b...

Authors: Sean M. Parsel, Steven A. Gustafson, Edward Friedlander, Alexander A. Shnyra, Aderosoye J. Adegbulu, Ying Liu, Nicole M. Parrish, Syed A. Jamal, Eve Lofthus, Leo Ayuk, Charles Awasom, Carolyn J. Henry and Carole P. McArthur

The contribution of a non-governmental organisation’s Community Based Tuberculosis Care Programme to case finding in Myanmar: trend over time

It is estimated that the standard, passive case finding (PCF) strategy for detecting cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Myanmar has not been successful: 26% of cases are missing. Therefore, alternative strategies, ...

Authors: Htet Myet Win Maung, Saw Saw, Petros Isaakidis, Mohammed Khogali, Anthony Reid, Nguyen Binh Hoa, Ko Ko Zaw, Saw Thein and Si Thu Aung

Measuring the physical and economic impact of filarial lymphoedema in Chikwawa district, Malawi: a case-control study

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is one of the primary causes of lymphoedema in sub-Saharan Africa, and has a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of those affected. In this paper we assess the relative im...

Authors: Michelle C. Stanton, Masato Yamauchi, Square Z. Mkwanda, Paul Ndhlovu, Dorothy Emmie Matipula, Charles Mackenzie and Louise A. Kelly-Hope

Controlling schistosomiasis with praziquantel: How much longer without a viable alternative?

The current approach of morbidity control of schistosomiasis, a helminth disease of poverty with considerable public health and socioeconomic impact, is based on preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel. Ther...

Authors: Robert Bergquist, Jürg Utzinger and Jennifer Keiser

International non-governmental organizations’ provision of community-based tuberculosis care for hard-to-reach populations in Myanmar, 2013–2014

National tuberculosis (TB) programs increasingly engage with international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), especially to provide TB care in complex settings where community involvement might be require...

Authors: Kyaw Thu Soe, Saw Saw, Johan van Griensven, Shuisen Zhou, Le Win, Palanivel Chinnakali, Safieh Shah, Myo Myo Mon and Si Thu Aung

Different challenges, different approaches and related expenditures of community-based tuberculosis activities by international non-governmental organizations in Myanmar

International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) have been implementing community-based tuberculosis (TB) care (CBTBC) in Myanmar since 2011. Although the National TB Programme (NTP) ultimately plans to ta...

Authors: Wai Wai Han, Saw Saw, Petros Isaakidis, Mohammed Khogali, Anthony Reid, Nguyen Hoa, Ko Ko Zaw and Si Thu Aung

Spatial-temporal analysis of pulmonary tuberculosis in the northeast of the Yunnan province, People’s Republic of China

The number of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases in China ranks third in the world. A continuous increase in cases has recently been recorded in Zhaotong prefecture-level city, which is located in the northeas...

Authors: Li Huang, Xin-Xu Li, Eniola Michael Abe, Lin Xu, Yao Ruan, Chun-Li Cao and Shi-Zhu Li