TUNGIASIS AMONG 5 COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH-WESTERN TRINIDAD, WEST-INDIES

The prevalences of Tunga penetrans Linn. within the five townships of Granville, Fullerton, Icacos, Coromandel and Cedros in south-western T rinidad, West Indies, as determined by physical examination of all inh abitants present during the survey were 17.0% (38/223 subjects), 15.7% (36/237), 31.4% (102/325), 17.4% (42/242) and 17.9% (50/280), respect ively. The rate in Icacos was significantly higher than in the other f our sites (P<0.001). Not only were males more likely to be infected th an females in all five study sites (P<0.0007) but chigoe-flea burdens were also higher in males than in females (P<0.012), with mean (S.D.) burdens of 5.44 (2.54) fleas/male infected subject and 2.38 (2.00) fle as/female infected subject. Feet were significantly more infected than other areas of the body (P<0.001). Analysis of variance revealed that the interactions between prevalence of chigoe-flea infection and geog raphical location (P=0.0058) and between sex of infected subject and s ite of infection (P=0.0109) were highly significant but that between g eographical location and sex of infected subject was not significant ( P>0.30). At least seven species of bacteria, with varying sensitivitie s to antibiotics, were isolated from 16 patients with sepsis associate d with their T. penetrans infections: Streptococcus pyogenes, beta-hae molytic Streptococcus (not group A), Klebsiella aerogenes, Enterobacte r agglomerans, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and a Bacillus species. Closteridium tetani was not isolated.