Baylisascaris procyonis: an emerging helminthic zoonosis.

Baylisascaris procyonis, a roundworm infection of raccoons, is emerging as an important helminthic zoonosis, principally affecting young children. Raccoons have increasingly become peridomestic animals living in close proximity to human residences. When B. procyonis eggs are ingested by a host other than a raccoon, migration of larvae through tissue, termed larval migrans, ensues. This larval infection can invade the brain and eye, causing severe disease and death. The prevalence of B. procyonis infection in raccoons is often high, and infected animals can shed enormous numbers of eggs in their feces. These eggs can survive in the environment for extended periods of time, and the infectious dose of B. procyonis is relatively low. Therefore, the risk for human exposure and infection may be greater than is currently recognized

Viability of Baylisascaris procyonis Eggs

Infection with Baylisascaris procyonis roundworms is rare but often fatal and typically affects children. We attempted to determine parameters of viability and methods of inactivating the eggs of these roundworms. Loss of viability resulted when eggs were heated to 62°C or desiccated for 7 months but not when frozen at –15°C for 6 months

Deaths from Cysticercosis, United States

Most deaths occur among Latino immigrants; US-born persons are affected to a lesser extent

Formation and psychometric evaluation of a health-related quality of life instrument for children living with HIV in India

In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to inform the development of an instrument to measure the health-related quality of life of children living with HIV. The QOL-CHAI instrument consists of four generic core scales of the "Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory" and two HIV-targeted scales-"symptoms" and "discrimination." A piloting exercise involving groups of children living with HIV and HIV-negative children born to HIV-infected parents provided evidence for the acceptable psychometric properties and usability of the instrument. It is expected that the QOL-CHAI can serve well as a brief, standardized, and culturally appropriate instrument for assessing health-related quality of life of Indian children living with HIV