Antibiotics 2022, 11(3), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11030329.
The authors found that the most-represented antibiotics on the Rwandan market were amoxicillin, co-trimoxazole and cloxacillin. No counterfeit antibiotics were found in this study. However, substandard batches with moderate ...deviations were found, suggesting that regular quality control of antibiotics is needed in Rwanda.
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In a retrospective review of hospital records of 40 human monkeypox cases from Nigeria, the majority developed fever and self-limiting vesiculopustular skin eruptions. Five deaths
were reported. Compared to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–negative cases, HIV type 1–coinfected cases had more ...prolonged illness, larger lesions, and higher rates of both secondary bacterial skin infections and genital ulcers.
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In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized Chagas disease (CD; Trypanosoma cruzi infection) as a neglected tropical disease (NTD) [1] and included it into the global plan to combat NTDs [2]. The Target 3.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN/SDG) aims at ending the e...pidemics of NTDs by 2030 [3]. Mother-to-child (congenital/connatal) transmission is currently the main mode of transmission of T. cruzi over blood transfusions and organ transplantations in vector-free areas within and outside Latin America (LA). Based on recent demonstrations that congenital transmission can be prevented [4–7], WHO has shifted its objective, in 2018, from control to elimination of congenital CD (cCD).
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The Triatominae are vectors for Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of the neglected tropical Chagas disease. Their distribution stretches across Latin America, with some species occurring outside of the Americas. In particular, the cosmopolitan vector, Triatoma rubrofasciata, has already been... detected in many Asian and African countries. We applied an ensemble forecasting niche modelling approach to project the climatic suitability of 11 triatomine species under current climate conditions on a global scale. Our results revealed potential hotspots of triatomine species diversity in tropical and subtropical regions between 21 ̊N and 24 ̊S latitude. We also determined the climatic suitability of two temperate species (T. infestans, T. sordida) in Europe, western Australia and New Zealand. Triatoma rubrofasciata has been projected to find climatically suitable conditions in large parts of coastal areas throughout Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia, emphasising the importance of an international vector surveillance program in these regions.
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Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease (CD), considered one of the most important parasitic infections in Latin America. Between 25 and 90 million humans are at infection risk via at least one of multiple infection mechanisms. Under natural conditions, the principal transmissio...n modes are transplacental or via one of more than 140 hematophagous triatomine bugs (Reduviidae: Triatominae). Triatomines acquire the parasite from mammal reservoirs due to their obligate blood-feeding (albeit triatomines can also feed on non-reservoir vertebrates such as birds and reptiles). The disease burden for CD in the Latin America and Caribbean region, based on disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), is at least five times greater than that of malaria, and is approximately one-fifth that of HIV/AIDS. In recent decades, CD has extended to other continents outside natural reservoir or vector distributions due to human migration, with a minimum estimated 10 million individuals infected worldwide.
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Chagas disease is a tropical disease caused by a parasite called Trypansoma cruzi and is primarily spread by Triatomine bugs. It is estimated to affect 6-7 million people, mostly in Latin America, and can cause devastating chronic illness. In this video we take a look at the disease, what it is, and... ways to control its spread.
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Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, is a painful and protracted disease transmitted through the bite of infected tsetse flies and it is found in rural parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Sleeping sickness has two clinical phases but this review focuses only on treatment of the second...-stage, which is characterized by neurological changes and almost invariably fatal without treatment. There are only a few drugs currently available for second-stage sleeping sickness, all with considerable adverse events and variable efficacy.
The review includes nine trials with 2577 participants. Each trial reported different comparisons of the drugs currently available to treat second stage HAT (melarsoprol, eflornithine, nifurtimox) so no meta-analysis was possible.
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Species of the genus Schistosoma are digenetic trematodes and the causative agents of the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) schistosomiasis; a parasitic disease that ranks second only to malaria in terms of socioeconomic impacts. Over 220 million people worldwide are currently infected, 90% of whom l...ive in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with an estimated annual mortality of at least 200,000. Infection in humans, as well as alternative mammalian definitive hosts, occurs in contaminated freshwater environments via cercariae shed from specific snail intermediate hosts. Early acute morbidity can occur following cutaneous penetration, sometimes leading to an urticarial rash known as swimmers itch or cercarial dermatitis.
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Human schistosomiasis, a parasitic and often chronic illness, is one of the major neglected tropical diseases worldwide. It is estimated that 240 million people suffer from schistosomiasis, with more than 200000 fatalities recorded each year. Schistosomiasis is caused by an infection of the blood fl...uke Schistosoma and is transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected water.
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Treatment of second-stage gambiense human African trypanosomiasis relied on toxicarsenic-based derivatives for over 50 years. The availability and subsequent use of eflornithine,initially in monotherapy and more recently in combination with nifurtimox (NECT), has drasticallyimproved the pro...gnosis of treated patients. However, NECT logistic and nursing requirementsremain obstacles to its deployment and use in peripheral health structures in rural sub-SaharanAfrica. Two oral compounds, fexinidazole and SCYX-7158, are currently in clinical development.The main scope of this article is to discuss the potential impact of new oral therapies to improvediagnosis-treatment algorithms and patients’access to treatment, and to contribute to reach theobjectives of the recently launched gambiense humanAfrican trypanosomiasis elimination program
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Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease caused by helminth parasites of the genus Schistosoma. Worldwide, an estimated 250 million people are infected with these parasites with the majority of cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Within Asia, three species of Schistosoma cause disease. Schistosom...a japonicum is the most prevalent, followed by S. mekongi and S. malayensis. All three species are zoonotic, which causes concern for their control, as successful elimination not only requires management of the human definitive host, but also the animal reservoir hosts. With regard to Asian schistosomiasis, most of the published research has focused on S. japonicum with comparatively little attention paid to S. mekongi and even less focus on S. malayensis. In this review, we examine the three Asian schistosomes and their current status in their endemic countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Thailand (S. mekongi); Malaysia (S. malayensis); and Indonesia, People’s Republic of China, and the Philippines (S. japonicum). Prospects for control that could potentially lead to elimination are highlighted as these can inform researchers and disease control managers in other schistosomiasis-endemic areas, particularly in Africa and the Americas.
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Sleeping sickness is controlled by case detection and treatment but this often only reaches less than 75% of the population. Vector control is capable of completely interrupting HAT transmission but is not used because of expense. We conducted a full scale field trial of a refined vector control tec...hnology. From preliminary trials we determined the number of insecticidal tiny targets required to control tsetse populations by more than 90%. We then carried out a full scale, 500 km2 field trial covering two HAT foci in Northern Uganda (overall target density 5.7/km2). In 12 months tsetse populations declined by more than 90%. A mathematical model suggested that a 72% reduction in tsetse population is required to stop transmission in those settings. The Ugandan census suggests population density in the HAT foci is approximately 500 per km2. The estimated cost for a single round of active case detection (excluding treatment), covering 80% of the population, is US$433,333 (WHO figures). One year of vector control organised within country, which can completely stop HAT transmission, would cost US$42,700. The case for adding this new method of vector control to case detection and treatment is strong. We outline how such a component could be organised.
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Leptospirosis, a spirochaetal zoonosis, occurs in diverse epidemiological settings and affects vulnerable populations, such as rural subsistence farmers and urban slum dwellers. Although leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease and recognized as an important cause of pulmonary haemorrhage syndrom...e, the lack of global estimates for morbidity and mortality has contributed to its neglected disease status
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Scabies is a contagious skin condition caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei which burrows into the skin and causes severe itching. Scabies is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or indirectly by contact with contaminated material (fomites). This condition is often challenging to diagnose as m...any patients may have only subtle symptoms. However, other patients may present with the classic history of exposure, severe pruritis that is worse at night, and reference to other individuals with similar symptoms. This activity reviews the evaluation and treatment of scabies and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in managing patients with this condition.
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Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An
understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and
control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis
prevention and control. To this must b...e added the awareness that schistosomiasis is
also a disease of poverty. It still survives in poverty-stricken, remote areas where there
is little or no safe water or sanitation, and health care is scarce or non-existent. For
a variety of complex reasons, many of which are addressed in this book, the disease
is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and persists in certain areas of rural
China. This concern for human behaviour in an environment of poverty echoes the
concerns of the new research priority for “diseases of poverty” identified by the
Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases.
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There is an urgent need to build Research and Development (R&D) capacity for leishmaniasis and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the Middle East and North Africa. The neglected tropical diseases are a group of 17 viral, bacterial, protozoan, and helminthic infections that often have high m...orbidity but low mortality, causing disabilities through their impact on child development and education, pregnancy outcomes, and worker productivity.
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Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease with a broad global distribution and an increasing number of recorded cases worldwide. However, it is still one of the world's most neglected diseases. Over the last decades, the disease has been found to expand geographically with a global increase of cases o...f visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis increasing the public health problems associated with the disease epidemics. The reported range expansion of the diseases has been associated with range expansions of vector populations in response to climate change. Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The transmission can either be zoonotic and/or anthroponotic through the bite of an infected female phlebotomine sandfly. In Eurasia and Africa, all vector-competent sandfly species belong to the genus Phlebotomus. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis. In the ‘old world’, it is caused by five currently recognized Leishmania species: L. major, L. tropica and L. aethiopica (being main causative parasites) as well as L. infantum and L. donovani. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), another common and more severe form of leishmaniasis, is only associated with the Leishmania species L. infantum and L. donovani. The specific Leishmania species cause different clinical symptoms in humans.
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Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a group of protozoan parasites called Leishmania. It is classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease and affects some of the poorest countries in the world causing 20-30,000 deaths each year. The disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected sandfly and ca...uses 3 main types of disease: Cutaneous, Visceral and Mucous.
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Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a parasitic disease that is a major cause of chronic disability in the developing world. According to the 2021–2030 road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the global goal for LF is elimination as a public healt...h problem by 2030 through repeated rounds of mass drug administration (MDA). Critical components of any elimination program are monitoring and surveillance. Appropriate assessment tools and methods are needed for each stage of an elimination program; mapping to identify which areas require intervention, monitoring to assess the impact of interventions, and post-intervention surveillance to validate elimination or detect recrudescence.
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The South-East Asia regional programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) was launched in 2000. This study presents the progress and impact of the programme in the region.