Active case detection and treatment of malaria in a selective age group of children up to the age of fifteen was carried out to control malaria in a coastal village in North Sumatra, Indonesia from September 1983 to July 1984. A combination of chloroquine for three days with primaquine for three or five days was more effective than only chloroquine for three days. The spleen rate, the parasite rate of P. falciparum, the parasite formula of P. falciparum and the parasite density index were reduced by this activity. The parasite rate and the parasite formula of P. falciparum did not rise up in July 1984 (12.3% and 14.3%, respectively) without any vector control activities, although the parasite rate used to rise up to 27-61% and the parasite formula of P. falciparum was 50-86% in July to September every year (1980-1983). Most of the patients in July 1984 were considered to be recurrent or inadequately treated cases of P. vivax. Furthermore the density of P. falciparum gametocyte in pre-school children was higher than that in school children. We should pay a special attention to pre-school children to interrupt malaria transmission aiming at the gametocyte stage. Detection of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency was done at the same time and malaria patient with G6PD deficiency was not given primaquine.

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In order to elucidate the morphology of the so-called parenthesis-like structure of Pneumocystis carinii cysts, human lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens have been studied light microscopically using Gomori's methenamine silver nitrate stain. The parenthesis-like structures could be seen much more clearly than the cyst walls in the moderately stained organisms. Usually the inside of the structures was weakly stained. Measurements of the cysts were within the range of 4.0-6.8×3.0-5.2 μm, and those of parenthesis-like structures were 1.6-2.2×0.8-1.8μm when 100 cysts with such structures were counted. The side views of the parenthesis-like structures were recognized as the thickened internal parts of the cyst walls. No cysts which had two or more parenthesis-like structures were found. The cysts without parenthesis-like structures were observed in 37.3% of 660 moderately stained cysts. Some parenthesis-like structures were found without distinct cyst walls.

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Studies were conducted to examine changes in anthropometric parameters and their relationships with energy and nitrogen intakes and nitrogen balance during recovery from protein-energy malnutrition. Eight male Ghanaian children with protein-energy malnutrition, who were on admission in a hospital, formed the subjects. Ages of subjects ranged from 18 to 42 months old. Their mean body weights and heights were 8.5±1.4kg and 78.4±6.5 cm respectively. These corresponded to 61.9±5.8% of reference body weight, for age (RBW/A), 80.0 ±5.8% of reference body weight for height (RBW/Ht) and 85.6±5.7% of reference height for age (RHt/A). The subjects received dietary treatment in the hospital and showed rapid recovery. They were observed for a period of 4 weeks. Their body weight gain averaged 1.6±0.5 kg. All the anthropometric parameters, with the exception for the abdominal circumference, increased with recovery. Changes in chest, mid-upper arm, thigh, and mid-calf circumferences correlated negatively with the % RBW/A but positively with the energy and nitrogen intakes as well as nitrogen balance. There were a very significant correlation between the nitrogen balance and the change of mid-calf circumference in particular (r=0.89, p<0.01). This study has showed that infants with low % RBW/A, but not with low % RBW/Ht, have high energy intake and positive nitrogen balance and consequently have a high recovery rate as indicated by the changes in their anthropometric measurements.

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Fecal samples were examined in 117 children, ranging in ages from 8 to 14, in a primary school in Chiang Mai City, north Thailand. The positive rate of all parasitic infections was 23.9%. Hookworms were the most prevalent parasite (17.1%), followed by Trichuris trichiura (5.1%), Strongyloides stercoralis (3.4%), Entamoeba coli (1.7%), Entamoeba histolytica (0.9%) and Opisthorchis viverrini (0.9%). No Ascaris lumbricoides was found, mainly because of individual treatment with drugs.

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A comprehensive and updated checklist for the mosquitoes of Thailand has been compiled from scattered literature in addition to our own collections during 1983-1984 mosquito surveys in this country. In total 384 taxa of mosquitoes can be counted with valid distribution records : Anopheles 65 spp., Aedes 100 spp., Armigeres 22 spp., Heizmannia 16 spp., Culex 80 spp., Topomyia 14 spp., Tripteroides 13 spp., Uranotaenia 39 spp., Toxorhynchites 8 spp., and other genera 27 spp. Among them 249 spp. (64.8%) are common with Malaysian mosquito fauna, 113 spp. (29.4%) with Philippine fauna, and 44 spp. (11.5%) with Japanese fauna. Only 54 spp. (14.1%) are not known outside Thailand. References for collection or distribution and larval breeding places have been given to each taxon.

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