Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T10:23:48.171Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Human trichostrongylosis and its relationship to ancylostomiasis in southern Iraq, with comments on world incidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

J. M. Watson
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

An investigation of the occurrence of helminthic intestinal parasites in the population of central and southern Iraq led to the discovery that human trichostrongylosis is relatively common in man along the banks of the Shatt-al-Arab and the lower course of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In the Basrah area the incidence is 25·4% and at Nasriyah 14·2% but it falls rapidly along the northward course of the rivers and is absent in the centre and north of the country. This is correlated with the occurrence of heavy shade cast by palm forest, high humidity due to the presence of perennial swamps, and the occurrence of grass and other carpet plants in the south; which jointly provide the conditions necessary for the development and survival of the free-living stages of Trichostrongylus.

Hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale) is more evenly distributed over the area and is common farther north where conditions are more arid; owing to the fact that the free-living stages can develop under much drier conditions than those of Trichostrongylus, probably mainly on moist defaecation sites near irrigation channels.

The species of Trichostrongylus involved is not known but is probably T. colubriformis which is common locally in sheep and has been found in man at Abadan by Marsh (1949). Infection is presumably contracted by ingestion of greenstuff carrying infective juveniles.

Since infections are light, symptoms minimal and treatment ineffective care should be taken to differentiate trichostrongylosis from ancylostomiasis in order that no unnecessary medication be undertaken.

The world incidence of human trichostrongylosis is higher than was formerly believed. The available reports are reviewed, and it is concluded that not less than fifty million persons harbour this worm throughout the globe.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 43 , Issue 1-2 , May 1953 , pp. 102 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1953

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Augustine, D. L. (1923). Investigations on the control of hookworm disease. XXIII. Experiments on the factors determining the length of life of infective hookworm larvae. Amer. J. Hyg. 3, 420–33.Google Scholar
Chandler, A. C. (1925). The epidemiology of hookworm and other helminthic infections on Assam tea estates. Indian J. Med. Res. 13, 407–26.Google Scholar
Chandler, A. C. (1926–1927). The prevalence and epidemiology of hookworm and other helminthic infections in India. Indian J. Med. Res. Parts I-IX: 14, 185–94, 195–218, 451–80, 481–92, 493–504, 733–44, 754–60, 761–74, 955–72. Parts X-XII: 15, 143–58, 159–80, 695–744.Google Scholar
Clayton-Lane, (1932). Extra-corporeal development of hookworms. Lancet, 222, 741–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crofton, H. D. (1948). The ecology of the immature phases of trichostrongyle nematodes. II. The effect of climatic factors on the availability of the infective larvae of Trichostrongylus retortaeformis to the host. Parasitology, 39, 27–38.Google Scholar
Crofton, H. D. (1948). The ecology of the immature phases of trichostrongyle nematodes. I. The vertical distribution of infective larvae of Trichostrongylus retortaeformis in relation to their habitat. Parasitology, 39, 17–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Nooij, J. A. (1922). Onderzoed naar her voorkomen van ankylostomenlarven in den groud in Kampongs te Batavia. Geneesk. Tijdschr. Ned.-Ind. 62, 290–305.Google Scholar
Faust, E. C. (1949). Human Helminthology, 3rd ed.Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Heydon, G. M. (1927). The effect of light and of drying on infective hookworm larvae. Med. J. Aust. 2, 611–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, G. W. III, Ritchie, L. S., Nagano, K. & Ishii, N. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. II. A preliminary report of an epidemiologic survey in Fukui Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Jap. Med. J. 3, 359–64. Abstract in J. Parasit. 34 (Suppl.), 35 (1948).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, G. W. III, Ritchie, L. S., Kaufman, E. H., Pan, C., Szewczak, J. T., Yokogawa, M. & Ishii, N. (1948). Parasitological studies in the Far East. IV. An epidemiological survey in Yamanashi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. J. Parasit. 34 (Suppl.), 35.Google Scholar
Hunter, G. W. III, Ritchie, L. S., Chang, L. C., Kobayashi, H., Rolph, W. D., Mason, H. C. & Szewczak, J. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. VII. An epidemiological survey in south Korea. Japan Logistical Command Bull, no. 2, 20 pp. Abstract in J. Parasitol. 35 (Suppl.), 41, (1949).Google Scholar
Hunter, G. W. III, Ritchie, L. S., Pan, C. & Yokogawa, M. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. IX. An epidemiologic survey on Shikoku Island, Japan. J. Parasit. 37 (Suppl.), 17.Google Scholar
Hunter, G. W. III, Ritchie, L. S., Pan, C. & Lin, S. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. XL. An epidemiologic survey of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. Japan Logistical Command Bull, no. 3, 29 pp. Abstract in J. Parasit. 36 (Suppl.) 17–18, (1950).Google Scholar
Joe, Lie Kian (1947). Trichostrongylus infection in man and domestic animals in Java. J. Parasit. 33, 359–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Looss, A. (1905). Notizen zur Helminthologie Aegyptens. VI. Das Genus Trichostrongylus n.g., mit zwei neuen gelegentlichen Parasiten des Menschen. Zbl. Bakt. (1. Abt. Orig.), 39, 409–22.Google Scholar
Maplestone, P. A. (1941). Trichostrongylus infection in man. Indian Med. Gaz. 76, 710.Google ScholarPubMed
Marsh, F. (1949). Trichostrongylus infestation in south Persia. Brit. Med. J. ii, 983.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monnig, H. O. (1947). Veterinary Helminthology and Entomology, 3rd ed.London.Google Scholar
Ritchie, L. S., Hunter, G. W. III, Pan, C. & Szewczak, J. T. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. III. A preliminary report of an epidemiologic survey in Aomori Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Jap. Med. J. 3, 365–71 (1950). Abstract in J. Parasit. 34 (Suppl.), 35 (1948).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ritchie, L. S., Hunter, G. W. III, Kaufman, E. H., Pan, C., Nagano, K. & Yokogawa, M. (1950). Parasitological studies in the Far East. V. An epidemiological survey in Okayama Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. J. Parasit. 36 (Suppl.), 17.Google Scholar
Ritchie, L. S., Hunter, G. W. III, Pan, C., Yokogawa, M. & Szewczak, J. T. (1949). Parasitological survey in the Far East. VI. An epidemiological survey of Kyushu Island, Japan. J. Parasit. 35 (Suppl.), 41.Google Scholar
Ritchie, L. S., Hunter, G. W. III, Pan, C., Yokogawa, M. & Nagano, K. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. VIII. An epidemiologic survey of the Tone River area, Japan. J. Parasit. 37 (Suppl.), 17.Google Scholar
Ritchie, L. S., Hunter, G. W. III, Pan, C. & Yokogawa, M. (1950). Parasitological studies in the Far East. X. An epidemiological survey on Hokkaido, Japan. J. Parasit. 36 (Suppl.), 17.Google Scholar
Ritchie, L. S., Hunter, G. W. III, Freytag, R. E., Pan, C. & Yokogawa, M. (1951). Parasitological studies in the Far East. XII. An epidemiologic survey of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. J. Parasit. 37 (Suppl.), 17–18.Google Scholar
Seghetti, (1948). The effect of environment on the survival of the free-living stages of Trichostrongylus colubriformis and other nematode parasites of range sheep in south-eastern Montana. Amer. J. Net. Res. 9, 52–60.Google Scholar
Sousa, A. (1944). Iraq irrigation Handbook. Part I. The Euphrates. Government of Iraq—Ministry of Communications and Works—Directorate General of Irrigation, Baghdad.Google Scholar
Stewart, I. S. (1949). Human infestation with Trichostrongylus in south Persia. Brit. Med. J. ii, 737–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoll, N. R. (1947). This wormy world. J. Parasit. 33, 1–18.Google ScholarPubMed
Tsuchiya, H. & Reller, H. (1945). A case of Trichostrongylus infection with notes on the identification of ova. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 30, 262–6.Google Scholar
Van Slype, W. (1934). Sur la détermination des strongylides humaines d'après les dimensions de leurs œufs. Bull. Soc. Pat. exot. 27, 939.Google Scholar
Watson, J. M. (1946). The differential diagnosis of hookworm, Strongyloides and Trichostrongylus with special reference to mixed infestations. J. Trop. Med. (Hyg.), 49, 94–8.Google ScholarPubMed
Webb, J. L. (1937). The helminths of the intestinal canal of man in Mauritius, and a first record of Trichostrongylus axei locally. Parasitology, 29, 469.CrossRefGoogle Scholar