Asher John Mohan

By Asher John Mohan, Neeraj Upmanyu and Silviya Sarah Lal

A life-threatening parasitic infection arising in evolving countries, principally prevalent in children below 5 years and pregnant women, has led to the growing interest for understanding the condition acknowledged as geohelminthiasis. Decreased cell-mediated immunity (a necessity in fetal retention) leading to a compromised immunological response is what makes pregnant women more prone to the infection thereby increasing the risk of maternal anemia, preterm deliveries and stillbirths based on reports. An outcome of geohelminthiasis on children is its deteriorative effect on cognition. This chapter highlights the relationship between the helminthic infection with respect to pregnant women and children additionally focusing on other associated factors such as poverty, hygiene, etc. that further contribute to the decline in quality of life in developing countries.

Part of the book: Helminthiasis

By Asher John Mohan, Bhaskar Kumar Gupta and Silviya Sarah Lal

Often misdiagnosed as liver cancer at first, the Alveolar hydatid disease or hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is an uncommon but potentially harmful variant of the disease also synonymously known as Echinococcus multilocularis (E. Multilocularis). The major area being drastically affected is the liver, from where its later advances into the lung and brain, typically fatal if left untreated. Even if surgery is still the recommended course of treatment for the condition, drug therapy cannot be thwarted off and remains essential and vital for individuals with disease extremity. This chapter therefore aims to present a framework through which FDA-approved drugs and nano drug delivery technologies collaborate to manage progressive hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

Part of the book: Echinococcosis