A longitudinal study of allergy and intestinal helminth infections in semi urban and rural areas of Flores, Indonesia (ImmunoSPIN Study)

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of asthma and atopic disease has been reported to be low in low income countries, however helminth infections are likely to be high among these communities. The question of whether helminth infections play a role in allergic diseases can best be addressed by intervention studies. None of the studies so far have been based on a large scale placebo-controlled trial. METHOD/DESIGN: This study was designed to assess how intestinal helminth infections can influence the immune response and atopic and allergic disorders in children in Indonesia. The relations between allergic outcomes and infection and lifestyle factors will be addressed. This study was set up among school-age children in semi urban and rural areas, located in Ende District of Flores Island, Indonesia. A randomized placebo-controlled anthelmintic treatment trial to elucidate the impact of helminth infections on the prevalence of skin prick test (SPT) reactivity and symptoms of allergic diseases will be performed. The children living in these semi-urban and rural areas will be assessed for SPT to allergens before and after 1 and 2 years of treatment as the primary outcome of the study; the secondary outcome is symptoms (asthma and atopic dermatitis); while the tertiary outcome is immune responses (both antibody levels to allergens and cellular immune responses). DISCUSSION: The study will provide information on the influence of helminth infections and anthelmintic treatment on immune response, atopy and allergic disorders. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN: ISRCTN8383081

Comparison of different diagnostic procedures, including mini-FLOTAC and multiplex real-time PCR, for the diagnosis of soil transmitted helminths and protozoa in stool samples from Ende, Indonesia

Host-parasite interactio

Human Dendritic Cells with Th2-Polarizing Capacity: Analysis Using Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics

Host-parasite interactio

The Schistosoma mansoni lipidome: Leads for immunomodulation

Host-parasite interactio

Improved diagnosis of Trichuris trichiura by using a bead-beating procedure on ethanol preserved stool samples prior to DNA isolation and the performance of multiplex real-time PCR for intestinal parasites

For the majority of intestinal parasites, real-time PCR-based diagnosis outperforms microscopy. However, the data for Trichuris trichiura have been less convincing and most comparative studies have been performed in populations with low prevalence. This study aims to improve detection of T. trichuria DNA in human stool by evaluating four sample preparation methods. Faecal samples (n = 60) were collected at Flores island, Indonesia and examined by microscopy. Aliquots were taken and a bead-beating procedure was used both on directly frozen stool and on material preserved with 96% ethanol. PCR on frozen samples showed 40% to be positive for T. trichiura, compared with 45% positive by microscopy. The percentage positive increased when using ethanol preservation (45·0%), bead-beating (51·7%) and a combination (55·0%) and all three methods showed significantly higher DNA loads. The various procedures had a less pronounced effect on the PCR results of nine other parasite targets tested. Most prevalent were Ascaris lumbricoides (≈60%), Necator americanus (≈60%), Dientamoeba fragilis (≈50%) and Giardia lamblia (≈12%). To validate the practicality of the procedure, bead-beating was applied in a population-based survey testing 910 stool samples. Findings confirmed beadbeating before DNA extraction to be a highly efficient procedure for the detection of T. trichiura DNA in stool.Host-parasite interactio

Competing for blood: the ecology of parasite resource competition in human malaria-helminth co-infections

Host-parasite interactio

Epidemiology of Plasmodium infections in Flores Island, Indonesia using real-time PCR

Host-parasite interactio

Asymptomatic Plasmodial Infection Is Associated With Increased Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor II-Expressing Regulatory T Cells and Suppressed Type 2 Immune Responses

Host-parasite interactio

Infection with Soil-Transmitted Helminths Is Associated with Increased Insulin Sensitivity (vol 10, e0127746, 2015)

Diabetes mellitus: pathophysiological changes and therap