Publications

human oesophagostomum infection in northern togo and ghana: epidemiological aspects.	recently, it has been established that human infection with oesophagostomum bifurcum is common in northern togo and northeastern ghana. two surveys were conducted in this area. in a regional survey, o. bifurcum infection appeared to occur in 38 of 43 villages. the highest prevalences (up to 59%) occurred mostly in small isolated villages and were usually associated with high hookworm infection rates. the infection was relatively rare in children under five years of age (7% infected). in older in ...	1992	1449277
observations on the morphology of adults and larval stages of oesophagostomum sp. isolated from man in northern togo and ghana.	infection with oesophagostomum sp. appears to be extremely common in man in northern togo and ghana. adult specimens were recovered from the intestinal lumen by treatment with pyrantel pamoate and the morphological characteristics of oesophagostomes of man could for the first time be compared with information available on the morphology of oesophagostomes of monkeys. the observations and measurements demonstrated that the species involved is oesophagostomum bifurcum and that the eggs of this spe ...	1993	8509618
the capacity of the third-stage larvae of oesophagostomum bifurcum to survive adverse conditions.	human infections with the intestinal nematode oesophagostomum bifurcum are commonly found in the sudan savannah of northern togo and ghana. apparently, the long and hot dry season in this region does not prevent transmission, which is believed to take place through ingestion of the infective, third-stage larvae (l3). oesophagostomum l3 cultured from human stools, unlike the larvae of necator americanus, were shown to survive desiccation. in addition, 93% of the o. bifurcum l3 frozen for 24 h at ...	2000	10827871
clinical epidemiology and classification of human oesophagostomiasis.	the intestinal helminth oesophagostomum bifurcum is highly and focally endemic in northern ghana and togo, and its juveniles produce a nodular inflammatory response as they develop in the intestinal wall. this pathology can produce clinical symptoms. we report on 156 cases of oesophagostomiasis presenting in 1996-98 to nalerigu hospital in northern ghana. the disease accounted for 0.2% of the out-patient department new presentations (about 1 patient per week), and 1% (16) of the major acute surg ...	2000	10897362
the role of pigs as transport hosts of the human helminths oesophagostomum bifurcum and necator americanus.	we conducted a study in an endemic area of both oesophagostomum bifurcum and necator americanus in northern ghana to examine the possibility of pigs acting as transport hosts for these two human helminth species, due to the commonly observed coprophagic habits of pigs. under controlled conditions four parasite-free pigs consumed fresh faeces from people heavily infected with both helminths, and faeces were subsequently collected from the rectum of the pigs from 5 to 50 h post-feeding. four to fi ...	2000	10936571
natural progression of oesophagostomum bifurcum pathology and infection in a rural community of northern ghana.	an estimated 250,000 people in northern ghana and togo are infected with the intestinal helminth parasite oesophagostomum bifurcum, as detected by stool cultures. clinical disease caused by o. bifurcum is responsible for about 50 cases per year at the region's central hospital, and presents as painful abdominal masses: inflammatory colonic nodules containing live juvenile stages of the helminth. in individuals living in villages highly endemic with o. bifurcum infection, colonic pathology visibl ...	2001	11491001
human oesophagostomiasis: a histomorphometric study of 13 new cases in northern ghana.	oesophagostomiasis is an infrequently described and recognised parasitic infection in humans, caused by oesophagostomum bifurcum. although the disease is most often found in the northern part of togo and the neighbouring part of ghana, sporadic cases have been described in other parts of africa and in asia and south america: uganda, ivory coast, sudan, kenya, ethiopia, indonesia, malaysia and brazil. infection probably occurs by way of the ingestion of l3 larvae. these larvae penetrate the intes ...	2001	11499836
determining the prevalence of oesophagostomum bifurcum and necator americanus infections using specific pcr amplification of dna from faecal samples.	until recently infection of humans with oesophagostomum bifurcum was regarded as a rare zoonosis. but in northern togo and ghana its prevalence is 50% or more in certain villages. diagnosis is hampered by the fact that the eggs of o. bifurcum are morphologically identical to those of the hookworm necator americanus. stools have to be cultured for 7 days to allow eggs to hatch to the characteristic third-stage (l3) larvae. we evaluated the applicability of specific polymerase chain reactions (pcr ...	2001	11555440
intraobserver and interobserver variation of ultrasound diagnosis of oesophagostomum bifurcum colon lesions.	infection by the nematode oesophagostomum bifurcum is focally distributed in africa and causes a syndrome of abdominal pain, obstruction, or abdominal mass because of its predilection for invasion of colonic mucosa. to determine the reliability of ultrasound for the detection of colon pathology induced by this parasite, three studies to assess the intraobserver and interobserver variation of the technique were performed. in an area of northern ghana endemic for o. bifurcum, 181 people from a low ...	2002	12518861
the short-term impact of albendazole treatment on oesophagostomum bifurcum and hookworm infections in northern ghana.	in november-december 2002, stool samples from a random sample of the human population (n = 190) in the garu area of northern ghana were checked for intestinal helminths, using a single kato smear and duplicate coprocultures for each subject. all 190 subjects were subsequently treated with a single, 400-mg dose of albendazole and 146 of them were successfully re-examined 21-28 days post-treatment. prior to treatment, 75.5% of the kato smears were found to contain 'hookworm-like' eggs (with a geom ...	2004	15228719
distribution of human oesophagostomum bifurcum, hookworm and strongyloides stercoralis infections in northern ghana.	a cross-sectional study was carried out in 216 randomly selected, representative rural villages in the northeastern part of ghana from march 1995 to may 1998. inhabitants of randomly selected households, stratified by age and gender, were included. the geographical position of villages was recorded with a global positioning system (gps). the prevalence of oesophagostomum, hookworm and strongyloides stercoralis infections in a study population of 20250 people was determined by microscopic examina ...	2005	15550259
oesophagostomum bifurcum-induced nodular pathology in a highly endemic area of northern ghana.	human infection with oesophagostomum bifurcum is rare globally, but focally endemic and common in ghana and togo. two clinical presentations are identified: uni-nodular disease, which may be recognized as a 'dapaong tumour', and multi-nodular disease. here, we describe the prevalence of o. bifurcum infection and the association with nodular pathology in northern ghana. the study was performed in october 2002. out of a well-defined population of approximately 18000, 928 subjects of all ages were ...	2005	15837353
insights into the epidemiology and genetic make-up of oesophagostomum bifurcum from human and non-human primates using molecular tools.	the nodule worm oesophagostomum bifurcum (nematoda: strongylida) is a parasite of major human health importance predominantly in northern togo and ghana. currently, it is estimated that 0.25 million people are infected with this nematode, and at least 1 million people are at risk of infection. infection with this parasite causes significant disease as a consequence of encysted larvae in the wall of the large intestine. in spite of the health problems caused by o. bifurcum, there have been signif ...	2006	16332292
oesophagostomum bifurcum in non-human primates is not a potential reservoir for human infection in ghana.	in northern togo and ghana, human infection with the parasitic nematode oesophagostomum bifurcum is of major health importance. elsewhere, oesophagostomiasis is considered a zoonotic infection, non-human primates being the natural host. we examined 349 faecal samples of the olive baboon, mona monkey and black and white colobus monkey from two geographically distinct areas in ghana, outside the region endemic for o. bifurcum in humans. using both microscopy and species-specific pcr, we found a hi ...	2005	16359413
distribution and clustering of oesophagostomum bifurcum and hookworm infections in northern ghana.	human oesophagostomum infections are locally common in northern ghana. the present study describes the results of a cross-sectional survey involving 1011 subjects, selected by a compound-based random sampling method from 1227 compounds in 24 villages. selected persons were examined by both kato and coproculture methods. hookworm-like eggs, representing ova of oesophagostomum bifurcum and hookworm were detected in 87.5% of the kato smears. the geometric mean egg count of the infected subjects was ...	2006	16388688
mass treatment with albendazole reduces the prevalence and severity of oesophagostomum-induced nodular pathology in northern ghana.	previous surveys conducted in northern ghana where oesophagostomum bifurcum is endemic showed that o. bifurcum-induced nodular pathology could be detected in up to 50% of the inhabitants. the impact of albendazole-based mass treatment to control both infection and morbidity is assessed and compared with the situation in a control area where no mass treatment has taken place. a significant reduction in the prevalence of infection based on stool cultures was achieved following two rounds of mass t ...	2006	16730763
impact of repeated mass treatment on human oesophagostomum and hookworm infections in northern ghana.	oesophagostomum bifurcum is a common parasite of humans causing disease in parts of northern ghana and northern togo. the impact of repeated mass treatment with albendazole on infection with o. bifurcum and hookworm is analysed and the results compared with those in a control area where no treatment was given. at baseline, o. bifurcum and hookworm prevalences were 53.0% and 86.9%, respectively (n=1011). after 12 months, following two rounds of albendazole treatment, prevalences decreased signifi ...	2006	17054758