Review : The Parasitic Diseases of Childhood

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Abstract
The ubiquitousness of certain protozoan and helminth parasites and the increasing geographic mobility of individuals point up the need for an awareness of the role of parasitic infections in pediatric prac tice. This paper (a) surveys the advances in diagnosis and clinical understanding of those parasitic diseases of children which are the most common in Northern tem perate climates—amebiasis, giardiasis, pin worm infestation, visceral larva migrans, toxoplasmosis, pneumocystosis—and (b) surveys the usefulness, specificity, and limitations of the newer serologic tests in the diagnosis and management of these diseases. Therapy is not stressed. Because of the recent recognition of the significance of Pneumocystis carinii infection, this is considered in somewhat greater detail than its rarity might other wise warrant.