Publications

parasitic infections in black children in an endemic schistosomiasis area in natal.	urine and stool specimens from 856 school children aged from 7 to 20 years, and from 80 preschool children, were examined for schistosoma haematobium and intestinal helminths and protozoa. s. haematobium was present in 57% with a peak of 81% in 13-14-year-old children. peak intensity preceded peak incidence and egg loads gradually decreased with age. there was no clear-cut difference between boys and girls with regard to intestinal parasites, nor was there a close correlation between the inciden ...	1977	191941
the epidemiology of schistosomiasis in the vicinity of lake sibaya, with a note on other areas of tongaland (natal, south africa).	the epidemiology of human and bovine schistosomiasis in the lake sibaya area of tongaland, south africa, an undeveloped rural environment, is discussed. the mean prevalence of schistosoma haematobium infection is 72%, but s. mansoni is absent; possible reasons for this are given and the different types of water habitat are shown to play different roles in transmission. fear of crocodiles and hippopotami is important because villagers are compelled to use for domestic purposes, the smaller, shall ...	1979	539856
the effects of schistosomiasis on spontaneous play activity in black schoolchildren in the endemic areas. an ethological study.	an ethological study was undertaken in two primary schools in natal to assess the effect of schistosome infections on the spontaneous activity of schoolchildren in endemic areas. results indicate that there is selective exposure of more active children to the disease. in low-level infections with schistosoma haematobium (less than 1000 eggs excreted in a 2-hour midday period) or s. mansoni (less than 1000 eggs/g dry weight of stool) there is little evidence of a decrease in energetic activity un ...	1981	7244929
morbidity from urinary schistosomiasis in relation to intensity of infection in the natal province of south africa.	morbidity from urinary schistosomiasis was assessed on clinical, radiological, parasitologic and biochemical evidence in 510 schoolchildren living in a schistosoma haematobium endemic area. the results were viewed against the background of the prevalence and intensity of infection in the subjects. clinical morbidity correlated well with the intensity of infection, the latter in turn being influenced by factors such as water contact pattern, sex and water source. a surprisingly high prevalence (4 ...	1986	3089036
canoeists and waterborne diseases in south africa.	the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis (schistosoma haematobium) in canoeists in south africa was estimated from examinations of urine samples taken from participants in the 1988 and 1989 duzi canoe marathons on the umsinduzi/umgeni river in natal. as an indicator of water quality during races, water samples were taken from the river for bacteriological analysis. results showed a very low prevalence of s. haematobium and possible reasons for this are offered. faecal coliform levels in the riv ...	1990	2118684
targeted chemotherapy for parasite infestations in rural black preschool children.	to investigate whether targeted chemotherapy can reduce parasite prevalence rates in rural black preschool children.	1995	8545746
bladder cancer in various population groups in the greater durban area of kwazulu-natal, south africa.	to study the incidence of different histological types of bladder cancer in various racial groups living within the same geographical region.	1996	8813914
schistosomiasis and the use of indigenous plant molluscicides: a rural south african perspective.	in the last decade plant molluscicides have received considerable attention in the search for cheaper alternatives to chemotherapy and synthetic molluscicides in schistosomiasis control. the attraction of a locally grown molluscicidal plant is based on the development of a philosophy of self-reliance and community involvement. this approach is dependent on community recognition of the infection as a public health problem and their acceptance of proposed control measures. the objectives of this s ...	1997	9227802
epidemiology of helminth infections: implications for parasite control programmes, a south african perspective.	to determine the epidemiology of helminthic infections and the efficacy of parasite treatment among rural south african primary school children in the province of kwazulu-natal. to assess the south african government's parasite control policy.	2001	11796084
a health and nutritional profile of rural school children in kwazulu-natal, south africa.	a community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken to measure anthropometric indices, micronutrient status and prevalence of parasite infections in 579 rural south african primary school children. eleven schools were selected randomly from a magisterial district in southern kwazulu-natal (kzn). in each school, all pupils aged between 8 and 10 years were selected. the following outcome measures were obtained: anthropometric--height for age, weight for age and body mass index; micronutrient st ...	2001	11284248
patterns of schistosoma haematobium infection, impact of praziquantel treatment and re-infection after treatment in a cohort of schoolchildren from rural kwazulu-natal/south africa.	schistosomiasis is one of the major health problems in tropical and sub-tropical countries, with school age children usually being the most affected group. in 1998 the department of health of the province of kwazulu-natal established a pilot programme for helminth control that aimed at regularly treating primary school children for schistosome and intestinal helminth infections. this article describes the baseline situation and the impact of treatment on s. haematobium infection in a cohort of s ...	2004	15471549
distribution, habitats and role as intermediate host of the freshwater snail, bulinus forskalii, in south africa.	this paper focuses on the geographical distribution and habitats of bulinus forskalii, the snail intermediate host of the conical fluke of equids, gastrodiscus aegyptiacus as reflected by the 1209 samples in the database of the national freshwater snail collection of south africa. the 362 different loci on record represent an extensive distribution in kwazulu-natal province, the limpopo province, the coastal areas of the eastern cape province and the south-eastern part of the north west province ...	2005	16137134
real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of schistosoma dna in small-volume urine samples reflects focal distribution of urogenital schistosomiasis in primary school girls in kwazulu natal, south africa.	schistosoma haematobium eggs and schistosoma dna levels were measured in urine samples from 708 girls recruited from 18 randomly sampled primary schools in south africa. microscopic analysis of two 10-ml urine subsamples collected on three consecutive days confirmed high day-to-day variation; 103 (14.5%) girls had positive results at all six examinations, and at least one positive sample was seen in 225 (31.8%) girls. schistosoma-specific dna, which was measured in a 200-μl urine subsample by us ...	2014	24470560
schistosoma haematobium infection and asymptomatic bacteriuria in young south african females.	schistosoma haematobium eggs can induce lesions in the urinary and genital tract epithelia, as eggs pass through or get trapped in the tissue. local inflammatory reactions induced by s. haematobium eggs might affect the ability of bacteria to establish mucosal super-infection foci. s. haematobium infection and asymptomatic bacteriuria can both portray haematuria, proteinuria and leukocyturia. this shared set of proxy diagnostic markers could fuel routine misdiagnosis in s. haematobium endemic ar ...	2015	25623258
schistosoma haematobium infection and cd4+ t-cell levels: a cross-sectional study of young south african women.	schistosoma (s.) haematobium causes urogenital schistosomiasis and has been hypothesized to adversely impact hiv transmission and progression. on the other hand it has been hypothesized that hiv could influence the manifestations of schistosomiasis. in this cross-sectional study, we explored the association between urogenital s. haematobium infection and cd4 cell counts in 792 female high-school students from randomly selected schools in rural kwazulu-natal, south africa. we also investigated th ...	2015	25768005
risk factors and micro-geographical heterogeneity of schistosoma haematobium in ndumo area, umkhanyakude district, kwazulu-natal, south africa.	schistosomiasis is a snail-transmitted parasitic disease endemic in most rural areas of sub-saharan africa. however, the currently used prediction models fail to capture the focal nature of its transmission due to the macro-geographical levels considered and paucity of data at local levels. this study determined the spatial distribution of schistosoma haematobium and related risk factors in ndumo area, umkhanyakude district, kwazulu-natal province in south africa. a sample of 435 schoolchildren ...	2016	27012720
population genetic structure of the freshwater snail, bulinus globosus, (gastropoda: planorbidae) from selected habitats of kwazulu-natal, south africa.	the freshwater snail bulinus globosus is an important intermediate host of schistosoma haematobium, the causative agent of urinary schistosomiasis. this disease is of major health concern, especially in africa where the majority of cases have been reported. in this study the inter- and intra-genetic diversity and population genetic structure of b. globosus from nine locations in the kwazulu-natal province of south africa was studied using four polymorphic microsatellite loci (bgz1-bgz4). moderat ...	2016	27267152
modelling the spatial and seasonal distribution of suitable habitats of schistosomiasis intermediate host snails using maxent in ndumo area, kwazulu-natal province, south africa.	schistosomiasis is a snail-borne disease endemic in sub-saharan africa transmitted by freshwater snails. the distribution of schistosomiasis coincides with that of the intermediate hosts as determined by climatic and environmental factors. the aim of this paper was to model the spatial and seasonal distribution of suitable habitats for bulinus globosus and biomphalaria pfeifferi snail species (intermediate hosts for schistosoma haematobium and schistosoma mansoni, respectively) in the ndumo area ...	2016	27814746
efficacy of praziquantel on schistosoma haematobium and re-infection rates among school-going children in the ndumo area of umkhanyakude district, kwazulu-natal, south africa.	despite its low cure rates and possible resistance, praziquantel (pzq) is the only drug available for schistosomiasis treatment. hence, monitoring its efficacy is crucial. this study assessed the efficacy of pzq, determined re-infection and incidence rates of schistosoma haematobium infection among school-going children in the ndumo area, kwazulu-natal.	2017	28385154