title: High prevalence of Haplorchis taichui, Phaneropsolus molenkampi, and other helminth infections among people in Khammouane province, Lao PDR.
abstract: The prevalence of liver and intestinal helminth infections, including Opisthorchis, Haplorchis, Phaneropsolus, hookworms, Enterobius, and Taenia, was surveyed in Khammouane province, Lao PDR. Fecal specimens were collected from 1,242 people (590 men and 652 women) in 3 Mekong riverside villages and were examined by the Kato-Katz thick smear technique. The overall helminth egg positive rate was 81.1%. The positive rate for small trematode eggs, including Opisthorchis viverrini, heterophyids, and lecithodendriids, was 81.1% and the positive rate for hookworms was 6.7%. To obtain adult worms, 35 people who were positive for small trematode eggs were treated with 20-30 mg/kg praziquantel and 10-15 mg/kg pyrantel pamoate, and then purged. Diarrheic stools were collected from 33 of these people and searched for helminth parasites using a stereomicroscope. Mixed infections with various helminths (Haplorchis taichui, Haplorchis yokogawai, Prosthodendrium molenkampi, Phaneropsolus bonnei, echinostomes, hookworms, Trichostrongylus spp., Trichuris trichiura, Enterobius vermicularis, and/or Taenia saginata) were found. The total number of helminth specimens collected was 20,907 (approximately 634 per person). The most common species was H. taichui, followed by P. molenkampi, O. viverrini, P. bonnei, E. vermicularis, hookworms, and Trichostrongylus spp. These results show that diverse species of intestinal nematodes, trematodes, and cestodes are infecting humans in Khammouane province, Lao PDR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. cjy@snu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jong-Yil
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Eun-Taek
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Eun-Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Woon-Mok
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Tai-Soon
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Keeseon S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.forename: Duk-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Jin-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Um
authors.forename: Min-Sung
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Eui-Hyug
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Hoang
authors.forename: Bounlay
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Phommasack
authors.forename: Bounnaloth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Insisiengmay
authors.forename: Soon-Hyung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Han-Jong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D006376:Helminths / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007812:Laos / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult