The effects of parasite infections on cognitive processes in children

Kvalsvig, Jane; Cooppan, R. M.; Connolly, Kevin

doi:10.1080/00034983.1991.11812608

Cited by 134 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Evidence from South Africa has indicated that school performance is related to concurrent infections, with children carrying multiple species infections having poorer school performance than those children uninfected or infected with a single species (10). However, this study looked at a small number of mainly cognitive outcome measures and it was unclear what would be the effect of parasite load on a broad range of educational indicators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…For each species of helminth the associated degree of morbidity is related to the intensity of infection (3,6), whilst the degree of morbidity may also be related to the number of different species harboured (7)(8)(9)(10)(11). A recent study in Tanzania investigated the relationship between multiple species infections and the intensity of infection of each species and demonstrated that children infected with two or more species of helminths generally carry heavier infections of each species than children carrying single species infections (11).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Epidemiology of single and multiple species of helminth infections among school children in Busia District, Kenya

Brooker¹,

Miguel²,

Moulin³

et al. 2009

E Af Med Jrnl

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Objective: To describe the patterns of single and multiple helminth infection in school children from Busia District, Kenya. Design: A cross-sectional school survey using a randomly selected sample, forming part of an evaluation study of an ongoing deworming project. Setting: Budalangi and Funyula divisions of Busia District, Western Province, Kenya. Subjects: One thousand seven hundred and thirty eight school children aged 8-20 years randomly selected from those enrolled in standards 3-8 in 25 randomly selected primary schools. Results: Overall, 91.7% of children were infected with either hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura or Schistosoma mansoni. Infection prevalence of each species varied considerably among schools, being most marked for S. mansoni, where prevalence was highest in lakeshore schools. Children were typically infected with two or more species of helminth. Infection intensity of each geohelminth species was higher in school children infected with multiple species than in school children with single species infections, and intensity increased with the number of concurrent infections. Conclusion: Helminth infections are exceptionally common among school children in Busia district, thus confirming the good sense of the school-based approach adopted by the control programme. The study also shows that there is an association between concurrent infection and the intensity of infection, which may have consequences for nutritional and educational status.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of single and multiple species of helminth infections among school children in Busia District, Kenya

Brooker¹,

Miguel²,

Moulin³

et al. 2009

E Af Med Jrnl

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show abstract

“…In addition, Nokes and others 4 and Simeon and others 6 found improved performance on tests of working memory (Fluency for both studies and Digit-Span for the former) among children treated for moderate to heavy Trichuris trichiura infections compared with uninfected children or those who received a placebo. On the other hand, Kvalsvig and others 11 in a cross-sectional study found no effect of infection on tests of memory although they did find differences in tests of sustained attention between children with polyparasitic infections (including Schistosoma spp. and geohelminths) and those with single or no infection.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

Evidence for an improvement in cognitive function following treatment of Schistosoma japonicum infection in Chinese primary schoolchildren.

Nokes

McGarvey²,

Shiue³

et al. 1999

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, treatment trial was conducted in Sichuan, China to investigate the unique and combined effects on the cognitive function (working memory) of children after treating geohelminth infections with albendazole and treating Schistosoma japonicum infection with praziquantel. One hundred eighty-one children 5-16 years of age participated. At baseline, the praziquantel and placebo groups were similar in all background characteristics. Three months after praziquantel treatment, there was a significant reduction in the prevalence and intensity of S. japonicum infection. There were significant age group by praziquantel treatment interaction effects in three of the five cognitive tests, Fluency, Picture Search, and Free Recall, with effects being strongest in the youngest children (5-7 years old). Exploratory analysis within the youngest children showed a significant positive main effect of treatment on Fluency (P Ͻ 0.001), after controlling for sex, anthropometric, and parasitic and iron status. There was also a treatment by height-for-age interaction (P ϭ 0.03) and a treatment by iron status interaction (P ϭ 0.024) on Fluency. There was a treatment by S. japonicum intensity interaction (P Ͻ 0.001) on Free Recall, but the main effect of treatment on Picture Search was not significant (P ϭ 0.058). Younger children and those who are physically the most vulnerable are likely to benefit the most from the treatment of S. japonicum infection in terms of improved performance on tests of working memory.Several studies have shown that moderate to heavy parasitic helminth infections of children are associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function and of educational achievement than children who are uninfected or lightly infected.1-7 The specific effects on mental function are not clear and may depend not only on the duration and intensity of infection but also on the species of parasitic infection and whether or not the parasites are present as single or multiple species infections.The specific cognitive domains that are associated with parasitic infection have not been clearly defined but could be important for understanding the implications of the effects on children's educational achievement and development. For example, it was observed that performance on tests of reaction time was associated with Ascaris lumbricoides infection (Watkins WE, Pollitt E, unpublished data), whereas Levav and others 8 found that infection with A. lumbricoides was associated with poorer performance on tests of verbal ability.One cognitive domain that has been investigated in several studies with differing results is that of working memory. Working memory refers to a brain system that provides temporary storage and manipulation of the information necessary for more complex cognitive tasks such as language comprehension, learning, and reasoning. 9 The working memory model is composed of three main parts: an attentional controller/central executive supplemented by two subsidiary systems called the p...

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“…Consequently the children are not able to achieve their full potential in physical performance and education. [7,8] Heavy hookworm burden is the major etiology for iron deÞ ciency anemia in young children. [9][10][11] The present study was conducted with the objective to assess the prevalence rates of intestinal geohelminth and other intestinal parasitic infections in 926 children of age group 6 to 23 months in rural setting of India.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and risk factors associated with worm infestation in pre-school children (6-23 months) in selected blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, India

Awasthi

Verma

Kotecha³

et al. 2008

Indian J Med Sci

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The effects of parasite infections on cognitive processes in children

Cited by 134 publications

References 8 publications

Epidemiology of single and multiple species of helminth infections among school children in Busia District, Kenya

Epidemiology of single and multiple species of helminth infections among school children in Busia District, Kenya

Evidence for an improvement in cognitive function following treatment of Schistosoma japonicum infection in Chinese primary schoolchildren.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with worm infestation in pre-school children (6-23 months) in selected blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, India

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