INTESTINAL PARASITIC INFECTIONS

Outbreaks of foodborne protozoal infections continue to be reported. I dentification of imported fruits and berries as transmission vehicles has raised issues of the safety of unprocessed food. Several reports o f pseudo-outbreaks have been traced to incorrect initial laboratory di agnosis. Progress has been made in understanding the biology of severa l intestinal parasites, especially in the area of molecular biology. B asic research continues to far outpace relevant clinical studies, Deba te on the role of helminthic infections on general nutritional status continues. A potentially viable approach to control helminthic infecti ons in developing nations has been reported, Vaccine trials remain in the realm of identifying potential candidate agents and testing them i n animal models; some candidates show promise against invasive amebias is.