In spite of the availability of modern broad-spectrum anthelmintic
drugs, the prevention and control of helminth zoonoses remain a
challenge to human and veterinary parasitologists and to physicians and
veterina- rians working on the field. Although the life cycles of most
helminths of zoonotic importance are well known, there are still major
gaps in our knowledge especially in the fields of epidemiology,
diagnosis and treat- ment The International Colloquium on Helminth
Zoonoses held at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, 11-12
December 1986, laid emphasis on more recent advances made in the control
and epidemiology of these zoonotic diseases. The disease complexes
echinococcosis/hydatidosis, taeniasis/cysticercosis and the larva
migrans-syndrome were dealth with in considerable detail. In the first
chapter the phenomenon of strain variation in Echinococcus spp. is
examined in the light of newer findings. The progress made in recent
years towards a more specific diagnosis and drug targeting in
hydatidosis is reported. In the second chapter recent advances in
immunisation and treatment of cysticercosis are dealt with. The
possibili- ty of the existence of strain differences in Taenia saginata
is also dis- cussed. The third chapter is devoted to trematode zoonoses
with particular reference to the situation in South-east Asia, Senegal
(schistosomiasis) and Liberia (paragonimiasis). In the last chapter the
larva migrans- syndrome is treated in detail with special attention to
its etiology and and diagnosis. Reports on lesser known nematode
zoonoses like mammomono- gamosis and oesophagostomiasis are included.
