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Assessing the zoonotic potential of Ascaris suum and Trichuris suis: looking to the future from an analysis of the past

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2012

P. Nejsum ,
M. Betson ,
R.P. Bendall ,
S.M. Thamsborg  and
J.R. Stothard
P. Nejsum*
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Genetics and Bioinformatics, Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University
M. Betson
Affiliation:
Disease Control Strategy Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
R.P. Bendall
Affiliation:
Royal Cornwall Hospital, Clinical Microbiology, Truro, UK
S.M. Thamsborg
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
J.R. Stothard
Affiliation:
Disease Control Strategy Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
*
*Fax: +45 35282774 E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The two geohelminths, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, infect more than a billion people worldwide but are only reported sporadically in the developed part of the world. In contrast, the closely related species A. suum and T. suis in pigs have a truly global distribution, with infected pigs found in most production systems. In areas where pigs and humans live in close proximity or where pig manure is used as fertilizer on vegetables for human consumption, there is a potential risk of cross-infections. We therefore review this relationship between Ascaris and Trichuris in the human and pig host, with special focus on recent evidence concerning the zoonotic potential of these parasites, and identify some open questions for future research.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 86 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 148 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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