Richard S. Bradbury¹

¹School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD

Nematodes, or roundworms, are among the most common infections of humans in tropical regions of the world. It is estimated that between an estimated 642 million and 1.5 billion people are infected with Soil transmitted helminths alone. Most Pathologists are aware of the epidemiology, clinical significance, diagnosis and treatment of the common nematode infections, including giant roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, threadworms, and pinworms. 

However, recent advances in molecular epidemiology have identified several previously overlooked nematodes of humans in the tropics. Furthermore, previously “exotic” infections have been recognised as far more common than previously understood. This talk will discuss several such recent findings, including human infections with dog and gorilla hookworms, a widespread and multi-drug resistant species of whipworm in Africa, the expanding range and importance of Strongyloides fuelleborni infections in Africa and Asia and new understandings of Strongyloides fuelleborni in the Pacific. 

Despite their ubiquity as a cause of human infection, there are still many new things to be discovered and understood about the nematode infecting humans. This presentation will summarise the recent discoveries and advances in this field and will update attendees on the implications for our understanding of both the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of tropical nematode infections.