The economic burden of Chagas disease: A systematic review
The objective of this study was to assess the main costs associated with the treatment of CD in both endemic and non-endemic countries. MethodsAn electronic search of the Medline, Lilacs, and Embase databases was conducted until 31st, 2022, to identify and select economic studies that evaluated treatment costs of CD. No restrictions on place or language were made. Complete or partial economic analyses were included. ResultsFifteen studies were included, with two-thirds referring to endemic countries. The most commonly investigated cost components were inpatient care, exams, surgeries, consultation, drugs, and pacemakers. H...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 22, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: M ônica Viegas Andrade Source Type: research
The impact of vaccine-linked chemotherapy on liver health in a mouse model of chronic < i > Trypanosoma cruzi < /i > infection
ConclusionsThese data confirm toxicity associated with curative doses of BNZ and suggest that while dose sparing low BNZ plus vaccine treatment does not reduce parasite burdens, it better preserves liver health. (Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 21, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Duc Minh Nguyen Source Type: research
Health professionals ’ knowledge on dengue and health facility preparedness for case detection: A cross-sectional study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
by Ummul-khair Mustafa, Elingarami Sauli, Johanna Brinkel, Katharina Sophia Kreppel
Dengue presents a growing public health concern in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania, marked by the recurring incidence of outbreaks. Unfortunately, there is little information available on the region ’s preparedness in terms of health care workers’ knowledge on dengue as well as the availability of reagents and equipment essential for diagnosing and monitoring of dengue infections. To elucidate this, 78 health facilities were visited in Temeke district and structured questionnaires were dist ributed to 324 health care workers. The ...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 21, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Ummul-khair Mustafa Source Type: research
Safety and efficacy of paromomycin/miltefosine/liposomal amphotericin B combinations for the treatment of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in Sudan: A phase II, open label, randomized, parallel arm study
Conclusions/significanceThe PM/MF regimen requires shorter hospitalization than the currently recommended 60-90-day treatment, and is safe and highly efficacious, even for patients with moderate and severe PKDL. It can be administered at primary health care facilities, with LAmB/MF as a good alternative. For future VL elimination, we need new, safe oral therapies for all patients with PKDL. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03399955, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03399955ClinicalTrials.gov ClinicalTrials.gov (Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 21, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Brima Musa Younis Source Type: research
Epidemiology of intestinal helminthiasis with an emphasis on taeniasis in Chipata district of the Eastern province of Zambia
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis, includingT.solium taeniasis, using a large-scale community-based study in Chiparamba area of Chipata District in the Eastern province of Zambia. Methods/Principal findingsA cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2022 in a rural community of 25 randomly selected villages known to be at risk forT.solium infection. Stool samples were examined for intestinal helminths using the formol-ether concentration technique and further tested for taeniasis by copro antigen-ELISA (copro Ag-ELISA). Descriptive statistical analyses were con...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Gideon Zulu Source Type: research
Mayaro virus pathogenesis and immunity in rhesus macaques
by Whitney C. Weber, Caralyn S. Labriola, Craig N. Kreklywich, Karina Ray, Nicole N. Haese, Takeshi F. Andoh, Michael Denton, Samuel Medica, Magdalene M. Streblow, Patricia P. Smith, Nobuyo Mizuno, Nina Frias, Miranda B. Fisher, Aaron M. Barber-Axthelm, Kimberly Chun, Samantha Uttke, Danika Whitcomb, Victor DeFilippis, Shauna Rakshe, Suzanne S. Fei, Michael K. Axthelm, Jeremy V. Smedley, Daniel N. Streblow
Mayaro virus (MAYV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes debilitating and persistent arthritogenic disease. While MAYV was previously reported to infect non-human primates (NHP), characterization of MAYV pat...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Whitney C. Weber Source Type: research
Is there still yaws in Nigeria? Active case search in endemic areas of southern Nigeria
ConclusionsNo case of yaws was confirmed in this large population of children in south-east Nigeria. Continuous community awareness and yaws case finding activities have been recommended across Nigeria. (Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Ngozi Ekeke Source Type: research
“I sold my towel and shoes to pay the traditional healer”: Care-seeking costs and productivity losses among snakebite victims in Eastern Province, Rwanda
by Janna M. Schurer, Mahlet Tadesse Admasu, Mihigo Bonaventure, Dieudonne Hakizimana, Elijah Murara, Lauren E. MacDonald, Ellen Rafferty
Snakebite envenomation (SBE) is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and generally over-represented in rural, remote, and impoverished agricultural communities. While poverty is an established risk factor, little research has been done to investigate the economic consequences of SBE. This cross-sectional, quantitative study aimed to measure out-of-pocket spending and lost income when a household member was bitten by a snake. In 2020, 732 snakebite survivors from Eastern Province (Rwanda) agreed...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Janna M. Schurer Source Type: research
EDIII-Fc induces protective immune responses against the Zika virus in mice and rhesus macaque
In this study, we designed a fusion protein named EDIII-Fc, including the EDIII region of Zika E protein and human IgG Fc fragment, and obtained 293T cells that stably secreted EDIII-Fc protein using the lentiviral expression system. Mice were immunized with the EDIII-Fc protein, and it was observed that viral replication was significantly inhibited in the immunized mice compared to non-immunized mice. In rhesus macaques, we found that EDIII-Fc effectively induce the secretion of neutralizing antibodies and T cell immunity. These experimental data provide valid data for further use ofZika virus E protein to prepare an effe...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Su Hailong Source Type: research
Epidemiology of giardiasis and assemblages A and B and effects on diarrhea and growth trajectories during the first 8 years of life: Analysis of a birth cohort in a rural district in tropical Ecuador
by Tannya Sandoval-Ram írez, Victor Seco-Hidalgo, Evelyn Calderon-Espinosa, Diana Garcia-Ramon, Andrea Lopez, Manuel Calvopiña, Irene Guadalupe, Martha Chico, Rojelio Mejia, Irina Chis Ster, Philip J. Cooper
BackgroundThere are limited longitudinal data on the acquisition ofGiardia lamblia infections in childhood using molecular assays to detect and type assemblages, and measure effects of infections on diarrhea risk and childhood growth. MethodsWe analysed stool samples from a surveillance sample within a birth cohort in a rural district in tropical Ecuador. The cohort was followed to 8 years of age for the presence ofG...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Tannya Sandoval-Ram írez Source Type: research
Impaired functions of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and induction of regulatory T cells by pathogenic < i > Leptospira < /i >
In conclusion, this study reveals a novel immunosuppressive strategy employed by pathogenicLeptospira to evade host immunity by partially impairing MoDC maturation and inducing Tregs. These findings deepen our understanding of leptospirosis pathogenesis in humans and may provide a novel strategy to modulate DCs for the prevention and treatment of the disease. (Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 20, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Pratomporn Krangvichian Source Type: research
Vegetable oil-based surfactants are adjuvants that enhance the efficacy of neonicotinoid insecticides and can bias susceptibility testing in adult mosquitoes
Conclusions/SignificanceOur findings indicate that surfactants are not inert ingredients, and their use in susceptibility testing may jeopardize the ability to detect resistance. Further research is needed to evaluate the potential, the limitations and the challenges of using some surfactants as adjuvants to enhance the potency of some chemicals applied in mosquito control. (Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 17, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Fred A. Ashu Source Type: research
Inverted U-shaped association between bacillary dysentery and temperature: A new finding using a novel two-stage strategy in multi-region studies
ConclusionsThe association between temperature and BD incidence presented a U-inverted shape. The proposed strategy can efficiently characterize the association between exposure and outcome on original scale in a multi-region study with largely different exposure ranges. (Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases)
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 17, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Wei Wang Source Type: research
Mycetoma and the environment
by Ahmed Hassan Fahal, Sahar Mubarak Bakhiet
Mycetoma is a chronic, incapacitating, destructive inflammatory disease with many serious damaging impacts. Currently, there is no control or prevention program as many of its epidemiological characteristics, such as the causative organisms ’ ecological niche, natural habitat, primary reservoir, transmission mode, geographical distribution, incidence, and prevalence, remain unclear. This may be due to a lack of research interest, as mycetoma is still a neglected disease and the scarcity of accurate molecular diagnostic techniques in disease-endemic regions for accurate causat...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 16, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Ahmed Hassan Fahal Source Type: research
Remote evaluation of STH program coverage: Experiences from the DeWorm3 study, India
by Kumudha Aruldas, Rohan Michael Ramesh, William E. Oswald, Venkateshprabhu Janagaraj, Angelin Titus, Jabaselvi Johnson, Malvika Saxena, Gideon John Israel, Katherine Halliday, Judd L. Walson, Arianna Rubin Means, Sitara Swarna Rao Ajjampur
BackgroundThe DeWorm3 trial is a multi-country study testing the feasibility of interrupting transmission of soil-transmitted helminths by community-wide mass drug administration (cMDA). Treatment coverage during cMDA delivery was validated by in-person coverage evaluation surveys (CES) after each round of treatment. A mobile phone-based CES was carried out in India when access to hous...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - November 16, 2023 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Kumudha Aruldas Source Type: research
