Since its discovery in 1891, the pneumococcus has been one of the most extensively studied microbes, and was involved in several historical findings such as the discovery of genetic material that was later shown to be...Since its discovery in 1891, the pneumococcus has been one of the most extensively studied microbes, and was involved in several historical findings such as the discovery of genetic material that was later shown to be DNA. The pneumococcus is part of the normal bacterial flora of the nasopharynx, but can on occasions progress to sterile sites of the body and cause invasive diseases. There are about one million new invasive pneumococcal infections every year, majority of which occur in the developing world where children <5 years are most affected. The burden of pneumococcal disease is further heightened by the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance of the organism. The pneumococcus remains a pathogen of immense public health significance and understanding its biology, particularly the pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance is crucial to controlling pneumococcal disease.展开更多
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease of the tropics which is estimated to affect up to 300 million people worldwide. While it is being successfully controlled in many countries, it remains a major public health prob...Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease of the tropics which is estimated to affect up to 300 million people worldwide. While it is being successfully controlled in many countries, it remains a major public health problem, especially in developing countries including Ghana. Extensive work on schistosomiasis has been undertaken along theVoltaRiverbasin, leaving very little data and information on this infection in the urban and peri-urban areas inGhana. This study was aimed at determining the urinary schistosomiasis burden among children of school going age within Zenu, a suburb of the capital city. Urine samples were taken from 274 school children within the Zenu community and examined with urine chemistry dipsticks for detection and confirmation of haematuria, followed by microscopy for detection of Schistosoma haematobium ova. Prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis was 30.7% (95% CI: 25.2-36.2). 44 (52%) of the positive samples were collected from males whiles 40 (48%) were collected from females, but prevalence of the infection was not significantly associated with gender (χ2 = 0.041, DF = 1, P-Value = 0.839). Among the S. haematobium positive children, haematuria was detected by the dipstick in 88.1% (74/84, 95% CI: 81.2- 95.0), but it was not detected in 11.9% (10/84, 95% CI: 5.0-18.8). Meanwhile, the dipstick detected haematuria in 7.3% (20/274, 95% CI: 4.3-7.3) of the total population but microscopy could not detect the presence of Schistosoma ova in those children. An association was found between Schistosoma infection and haematuria detected by dipstick (χ2 = 84.715, DF = 1,展开更多
文摘Since its discovery in 1891, the pneumococcus has been one of the most extensively studied microbes, and was involved in several historical findings such as the discovery of genetic material that was later shown to be DNA. The pneumococcus is part of the normal bacterial flora of the nasopharynx, but can on occasions progress to sterile sites of the body and cause invasive diseases. There are about one million new invasive pneumococcal infections every year, majority of which occur in the developing world where children <5 years are most affected. The burden of pneumococcal disease is further heightened by the increasing prevalence of multidrug resistance of the organism. The pneumococcus remains a pathogen of immense public health significance and understanding its biology, particularly the pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance is crucial to controlling pneumococcal disease.
文摘Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease of the tropics which is estimated to affect up to 300 million people worldwide. While it is being successfully controlled in many countries, it remains a major public health problem, especially in developing countries including Ghana. Extensive work on schistosomiasis has been undertaken along theVoltaRiverbasin, leaving very little data and information on this infection in the urban and peri-urban areas inGhana. This study was aimed at determining the urinary schistosomiasis burden among children of school going age within Zenu, a suburb of the capital city. Urine samples were taken from 274 school children within the Zenu community and examined with urine chemistry dipsticks for detection and confirmation of haematuria, followed by microscopy for detection of Schistosoma haematobium ova. Prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis was 30.7% (95% CI: 25.2-36.2). 44 (52%) of the positive samples were collected from males whiles 40 (48%) were collected from females, but prevalence of the infection was not significantly associated with gender (χ2 = 0.041, DF = 1, P-Value = 0.839). Among the S. haematobium positive children, haematuria was detected by the dipstick in 88.1% (74/84, 95% CI: 81.2- 95.0), but it was not detected in 11.9% (10/84, 95% CI: 5.0-18.8). Meanwhile, the dipstick detected haematuria in 7.3% (20/274, 95% CI: 4.3-7.3) of the total population but microscopy could not detect the presence of Schistosoma ova in those children. An association was found between Schistosoma infection and haematuria detected by dipstick (χ2 = 84.715, DF = 1,
