ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

In 1990, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 2 billion people live in areas where malaria transmission occurs, and that 270 million people develop new malaria infections each year. Malaria constitutes a threat not only to those living in endemic areas but to the millions of people who travel each year from malaria-free countries to zones of transmission. Most malaria research focuses on two of the four species of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, with emphasis on the former. In this review, we examine some of the developments in malaria research during 1990, including vaccine development, the mechanisms by which the parasite causes disease, and current opinions on drug therapy, including new drugs and drug resistance.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease), African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), and leishmaniasis are caused by protozoan parasites primarily transmitted to humans by insects. These illnesses are major public health problems in many developing countries. Development of effective programs for reducing transmission of these pathogens has been difficult, and treatment continues to be problematic. American trypanosomiasis is widespread in almost all Latin American countries, and transmission by insects and through transfusion of blood donated by infected persons causes many thousands of new cases each year. Research involving novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of Chagas' disease is being done in many countries, but recent achievements in the laboratory have not yet resulted in major changes in the way this illness is diagnosed or treated. Similarly, our understanding of the immunology of leishmaniasis and the genetics of the organisms that cause its three forms has expanded greatly in recent years, but this new knowledge has not found its way into practical applications. In contrast, the approval this past year of eflornithine, the first new drug for African trypanosomiasis in decades, offers the hope of markedly reduced mortality due to the West African form of sleeping sickness. Even with the addition of eflornithine to the group of drugs useful for African trypanosomiasis, however, a need persists for less toxic agents that are effective when given for shorter periods. Rational drug design projects involving the most recent technologies from several disciplines may provide the next generation of drugs for the treatment of African trypanosomes and other protozoa that cause human diseases.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Over the last few years, substantial advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of cystic and alveolar echinococcosis. Advances have been made in specific immunologic diagnosis, adaptation of various imaging procedures, and implementation of chemotherapy with anthelmintics. In the last year, further progress was made in taxonomy and understanding genetic variations and speciation of Taeniidae, as well as in the practical implementation of control of alveolar echinococcosis and cysticercosis in endemic areas. Improvements have been made in understanding the immunologic mechanisms of infection and disease, interpreting imaging procedures, and specifying the indications for chemotherapy in both echinococcosis and cysticercosis. In cystic echinococcosis, percutaneous diagnostic biopsy, therapeutic drainage, and use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography for biliary complications have been implemented in clinical practice. Despite many advances drugs and regimens available are still not entirely satisfactory and improvements must still be made.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

During 1990, investigators demonstrated immunologic cross-reactivity between an epitope of a human immunodeficiency virus-1 regulatory gene product and a schistosome surface antigen. Additional progress has been made in dissecting gene expression in the search for stage-specific sequences, the role of antibody in murine praziquantel chemotherapy, the complexity of different effector mechanisms of immunity in different animal models, the search for immune or immunopathology markers, and the prediction of success of chemotherapy by measuring antigenemia. During the past year, interesting studies have been reported on molecular genetics, the control of vectors as a consequence of human chemotherapy, parasite survival mechanisms, the development of a murine model for human tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, and the development of DNA probes for diagnosis.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Until the advent of the human immunodeficiency virus pandemic, the viral diseases with the highest case fatality rates and evoking the greatest alarm were rabies and the several agents that cause the viral hemorrhagic fevers. Despite mounting evidence of an extraordinarily high case fatality rate, there is a quality of silence to the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic. The sheer violence of rabies, Lassa fever, Ebola or Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever, and yellow fever commands unmatched respect. Research published in 1989 and 1990 gave promise of oral rabies vaccines for wild animals, documented the unexpected appearance of Ebola-like virus in the Philippines, urban yellow fever in Africa, and jungle yellow fever in Trinidad. The genetic manipulation of viruses is producing new vaccines and diagnostic reagents. An important retrospective epidemiologic study of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Cuba was published.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is still a major cause of disability. There are an estimated 10 to 12 million cases worldwide, and the disease persists in the United States, with approximately 250 new cases per year. Although there are still many unknowns regarding this disease, significant advances have been made in the past decade. Multidrug short-term therapy introduced by the World Health Organization in 1982 has significantly reduced the number of cases under treatment in many parts of the world. New laboratory methods for earlier and more accurate diagnosis are being studied and several new chemotherapeutic agents are undergoing clinical trials. Intensive work is being carried out in the study of the molecular biology of Mycobacterium leprae with the hope that new diagnostic techniques and effective vaccines may be developed that will make possible the elimination of this disease as a public health problem.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Several well-known and various unusual pathogens have appeared in the world literature during the past year. These include the cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, Salmonella species, and Pseudomonas pseudomallei. In addition, several common nematode infections have made appearances, including new forms of pentastomiasis and acanthocephaliasis. This section reviews some of these developments along with potential new uses for established antiviral agents and a few reminders regarding toxicity of the well-established antimalarial agent, quinine.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

The treatment of parasitic infections has undergone dramatic changes. Isolates of Plasmodium falciparum are now resistant to chloroquine and other antimalarials in many areas of Asia, Africa, and South America. Mefloquine has emerged as the prophylaxis of choice for most travelers to areas with chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum. The quest continues for better approaches to the treatment of toxoplasmosis, Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis, and African trypanosomiasis. Immunotherapy with interferon-γ appears very promising for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Eflornithine has produced miraculous cures in some persons with Gambian sleeping sickness, and for the helminths, praziquantel is active against all Schistosoma species and other trematodes except Fasciola hepatica. Ivermectin has emerged as the treatment of choice for onchocerciasis. Both praziquantel and albendazole are effective for neurocysticercosis, but corticosteroids are usually administered concomitantly to prevent or reduce cerebral edema.

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0951-7375    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1991

数据来源: OVID