Biomedical survey in North Samar Province, Philippine Islands.
A biomedical survey was carried out in North Samar Province, Philipines to update information on the prevalence of parasitic and other infectious diseases. A total of 1,394 stool specimens, 1,859 blood smears and 1,274 sera were collected from persons living in 8 barrios. Stools were examined for intestinal parasites, bloods smears for malaria and filariasis and sera tested for antibodies to Schistosoma japonicum, Entamoeba histolytica, Toxoplasma gondii, influenza A and B, and Japanese encephalitis virus. The prevalence rates for intestinal parasites were: Trichuris trichiura 90%, Ascaris lumbricoides 78%, hookworm 65%, Schistosoma japonicum 15%, Strongyloides stercoralis 1%, Entamoeba coli 16%, Endolimax nana 6%, entamoeba histolytica 5%, Giardia lamblia 3%, Entaemoeba hartmanii 1%, Chilomastix mesnili 1%. No malaria was found but microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti were detected in 4% of the blood smears; the MfD50 was 12.9. The circumoval precipitin test (COPT) was used to detect antibodies to Schistosoma japonicum and 65% of 994 sera was considered positive. The indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) was used for detecting antibodies to Entamoeba histolytica and Toxoplasma gondii and 5% and 3% of 1,274 sera tested were positive at titers equal to or greater than 1:128 and 1:256, respectively. Hemagglutination inhibition tests (HI) were used to detect antibodies to Influenza A2HK68, Influenza A2HK68, Influenza B2T62 and Japanese encephalitis virus and 72%, 12% and 78%, respectively, of 1201 sera were considered positive at titers equal to or greater than 1:20.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010679:Philippines; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014257:Trichuriasis / Q000453:epidemiology