Belgium

Ghent University

Expertise

Ghent University (Laboratory of Parasitology) is a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for monitoring the efficacy of anthelmintic drugs against soil-transmitthed helminthiasis. For this commitment, the Laboratory of Parasitology coordinates drug efficacy trials, evaluates different statistical approaches to report these results, and explores alternative diagnostic strategies and study designs to assess drug efficacy. Its contribution has led to the development of new World Health Organization guidelines for the assessment of drug efficacy against both soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis.  

Currently, the Laboratory continues working toward designing cost-effective systems to monitor deworming programs to control soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In addition, it focusses on (i) the role of animals as a reservoir for human STH infections, (ii) the identification of environmental STH hotspots, and (iii) the development of serology-based assays for assessing exposure to STH after multiple rounds of drug administration.

For each of the abovementioned research topics, the Laboratory can rely on a unique multidisciplinary network of fundamental and applied researchers, including health care professionals from various parts of the world.

Role in the project

Ghent University is the prinicipal investigator of the project.

Team members

FLTR: Piet Cools,  Bruno Levecke, Johnny Vlaminck and Jozef Vercruysse

Main publications linked to the project

• Levecke B et al., 2015. Mathematical inference on helminth egg counts in stool and its applications in mass drug administration programmes to control soil-transmitted helminthiasis in public health. Adv Parasitol 87:197–247.
• Levecke B et al., 2014. Anthelminthic efficacy of single-oral dose 500 mg mebendazole in school children in six countries where soil-transmitted helminths are endemic: a meta-analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 8:e3204
• Vercruysse J et al., 2012. Human soil-transmitted helminths: implications of mass drug administration. Curr Opin Infect Dis 25:703-708.
• Vercruysse J et al., 2011. Is anthelmintic resistance a concern for the control of human soil-transmitted helminths? Int J Parasitol-Drugs Drug Resist 1:14–27.
• Vercruysse J et al. (2011). A multinational trial of the efficacy of albendazole against soil-transmitted helminth infections in children. PloS Negl Trop Dis 5:e948.

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