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Background and Objectives: Infection with Plasmodium falciparum, caused 627,000 deaths in 2012 in the world. P. falciparum infection causes myriads of clinical manifestations. Exact clinical manifestation resulting in poor prognosis in hyper-endemic epidemiological settings need to be ascertained to save human lives. A hospital-based study was conducted to elucidate the different severe clinical presentations of falciparum malaria and to examine the critical clinical and laboratory parameters on the prognosis of these severe manifestations in a stable hyper-endemic falciparum area in the state of Odisha, India. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital with severe manifestations of malaria as per WHO criteria and confirmed by parasitological examination were included in the study. A detailed clinical and biochemical parameters were examined. Clinical data were reviewed before being double entered into a computer and analyzed. Statistical analyses were carried out using Epi Info 6.04. Continuous and normal distributed data were compared by two-tailed Student's t-test and proportions compared with χ² tests with Yates' correction or Fisher's exact test. Results and Discussion: A total of 1320 patients with clinical malaria, diagnosed at outpatients' department were admitted in the hospital during the 1 year study period of which, 292 (22.1%) were children under 14 years of age. The major clinical categories on admission were hyperpyrexia (70.7%), cerebral malaria (9.4%), malarial anemia (7.7%), algid malaria (1.5%), and malaria associated categories were respiratory infection (2.2%), hepatitis (2.0%), urinary tract infection (1.8%), enteric fever (3.3%), and sickle cell disease (1.2%). The overall case fatality rate (CFR) was 4.3 (57/1320). The CFR in children 12.3 (36/292) was significantly higher when compared to adults, that is, 2.0 (21/1028). The major causes of death were cerebral malaria (45.6%), malaria along with a respiratory infection (19.3%) and anemia (10.5%). Malarial anemia along sickle cell disease accounted for 19.3% of all malaria related deaths. Proportion of mortality due to acute renal failure was higher in adults. Biochemical parameters suggest involvement of multiple organs. The findings suggest that the area can be effectively managed by sustained and continuous preventive and curative efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filariasis is traditionally diagnosed following screening of peripheral smear for microfilaria. Clinically lymphatic filariasis mimics the common local diseases. Thus, it is plausible to observe this parasitic infection in histological sections. We encountered three such cases, which displayed diverse patterns of immune response. Presence of both dead and viable worm at the same foci suggests that such immune response could be the result of parasitic death. Histological features such as endothelial injury and granulomatous response attests to the role of Wolbachia bacteria in influencing tissue response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with microbiologist Dr. T.M. Mohapatra is presented. When asked about the areas in parasitology research that he has interest in, Dr. Mohapatra says he is interested in his primary field of responsibility, namely parasitic diseases endemic to India like malaria, filariasis, and kala-azar. Dr. Mohapatra also discusses the status of "neglected tropical diseases" (NTDs) in India, the disease burden of leishmaniasis in India and world-wide, and potential vaccines for leishmaniasis.

Aims Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a prevalent parasitological disease with diverse clinical manifestations in Iran. Therefore, the present retrospective study carried out to describe the demographic features of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ramshir, Iran. Materials & Methods This descriptive study was performed on 136 cutaneous leishmaniasis patients whose data were recorded in the Ramshir health center during 2006-9. Demographic information of patients including age, sex, habitat and sites of lesions, month and years of incidence were recorded. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software. Findings Totally 79 patients (58.1%) resided in urban areas and the born to 9 years (49.3%) was recognized as the most infected age group. Hands (41.2%) had the highest rates of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions followed by face (36.0%) and foot (22.8%). The maximum number of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions was reported in March. Conclusion As cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ramshir seemed to be an endemic rural type, the appropriate preventing measures regarding to the rural cutaneous leishmaniasis should be considered to decrease incidence of the disease in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many immunological techniques have been developed over years using the different Fasciola antigens for diagnosis of parasitic infection and to replace the parasitological techniques, which are time consuming and usually lack sensitivity and reproducibility. Materials and Methods: In this study, Fasciola gigantica paramyosin (Pmy) antigen was early detected in cattle sera using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), to evaluate the Pmy antigen performance in diagnosis. This work was conducted on 135 cattle blood samples, which were classified according to parasitological investigation into, healthy control (30), fascioliasis (75), and other parasites (30) groups. Results: The sensitivity of Sandwich ELISA was 97.33%, and the specificity was 95%, in comparison with parasitological examination, which recorded 66.66% sensitivity and 100% specificity, respectively. Conclusions: It was clear that the native F. gigantica Pmy is considered as a powerful antigen in early immunodiagnosis of fascioliasis, using a highly sensitive and specific sandwich ELISA technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptosporidium species is identified as an important cause of morbidity in children and adults. Prevalence rate as reported from various studies in India is much lower when compared to developed word. Present study was designed to analyze the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. Stool samples from 306 patients suffering with gastrointestinal symptoms were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts. A higher prevalence (25%) was found when compared to reports from north east and western India. Cryptosporidium was prevalent in 35-36% of adults, 17% of children and 20% of infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with John Ackers, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England, is presented. When asked about his experience in parasitology research, he says research is limited to Entamoeba histolytica. He also discusses parasitic diseases, trends in trichomoniasis and changing trends in the diagnosis of parasitic diseases.

An introduction to this issue of "Tropical Parasitology," in which the author discusses cryptosporidiosis , cystic echinococcosis, cystercosis and filariasis, is presented.