Description:
Central Queensland (CQ) is a large and isolated, low population density, remote tropical region of Australia with a varied environment. The region has a diverse fauna and several species of ticks that feed upon that fauna. This study examined 518 individual ticks: 177 Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick), 123 Haemaphysalis bancrofti (wallaby tick), 102 Rhipicephalus australis (Australian cattle tick), 47 Amblyomma triguttatum (ornate kangaroo tick), 57 Ixodes holocyclus (paralysis tick), 9 Bothriocroton tachyglossi (CQ short-beaked echidna tick), and 3 Ornithodoros capensis (seabird soft tick). Tick midguts were pooled by common host or environment and screened for four genera of tick-borne zoonoses by PCR and sequencing. The study examined a total of 157 midgut pools of which 3 contained DNA of Coxiella burnetii, 13 Rickettsia gravesii, 1 Rickettsia felis, and 4 other Rickettsia spp. No Borrelia spp. or Babesia spp. DNA were recovered.
Description:
This work was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (RSB), the Blakeslee Fund for Genetics Research at Smith College (N. P. and S. A. W.), and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the University of Mississippi Medical Center). R. B. reports a patent WO2019060840 “Removing Interfering Host NucleicAcids for Molecular Parasite Detection” with royalties paid to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This trial was observational and is exempt from registration at clinicaltrials.gov Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions of this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. This work was presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Conference: Poster 522, October 28–November 1, New Orleans, LA
Description:
This work was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (RSB), the Blakeslee Fund for Genetics Research at Smith College (N. P. and S. A. W.), and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the University of Mississippi Medical Center). R. B. reports a patent WO2019060840 “Removing Interfering Host NucleicAcids for Molecular Parasite Detection” with royalties paid to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This trial was observational and is exempt from registration at clinicaltrials.gov Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions of this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. This work was presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Conference: Poster 522, October 28–November 1, New Orleans, LA
Description:
Hookworm disease and its associated morbidities continue to be a major public health problem in many tropical and subtropical nations and remain endemic throughout the Oceania region. Three species of hookworm cause patent infection in humans in this region: Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale and Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Historical hookworm infection rates of up to 90 % throughout many parts of Oceania have significantly declined; however, the disease remains a major problem requiring ongoing public health intervention. The effectiveness of such interventions is evident in northern Australia, where once widespread hookworm disease is now limited to a few remaining endemic foci of isolated communities in the far north of the country. Outside of Australia, there is limited data available in the literature on hookworm prevalence, but a few recent (since 2000) studies have found hookworm prevalence rates of between 3 and 23 %. Infections with A. caninum, leading to eosinophilic enteritis, and sporadic cases cutaneous larva migrans caused by dermal migration of animal hookworm larva are also reported from several regions. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of both the historical and current literature on species of hookworms infecting humans and the geographical prevalence and distribution of hookworm disease in the Oceania region.