Parasitic infections among the aborigines in Taiwan with special emphasis on Taeniasis asiatica

According to the results obtained by our laboratory and the Department of Parasitology, Taipei Medical College, from 1995 to 1998, the overall infection rate of enterobiasis was 16% (4-29%) among 4,426 primary school students at 64 schools in 13 mountainous districts of 10 counties, and the infection rate of head louse infestation was 12% (3-26%) among 5,121 students. A continuous series of field studies on epidemiology and chemotherapy of taeniasis asiatica have been conducted between 1971 and 1992 among 27,359 aborigines in 88 villages of 14 districts in 10 counties and 3,104 were found to be infected, giving an overall infection rate of 11%. Laboratory studies have been performed on the morphology, intermediate hosts, experimental infection, immunology and molecular biology. Moreover, development of Taiwan Taenia in one of 3 volunteers has been successfully demonstrated since 1988. Moreover, the domestic pig was identified as the intermediate host of Taiwan Taenia as in the classical T. saginata (Poland strain). Most of cysticerci were developed in or on the parenchyma of liver. The results indicated that Taiwan Taenia is different from classical T. saginata. It has been named as T. s. asiatica. Moreover, the classical T. saginata was renamed as T. s. saginata. This paper summarizes findings and reviews those reported by our laboratory. In addition, the clinical manifestations and eating habits of the aborigines are also discussed.