In a study to test the association between soil transmitted intestinal helminthiasis and abdominal symptoms in a non-paediatric age group, 242 randomly selected patients (137 males, 105 females, median age 45 years) were asked specific questions pertaining to abdominal symptoms at the time of admission to the adult medical wards. Stool examination on all patients revealed a round worm prevalence rate of 21%. A larger proportion of stool positive female patients were symptomatic than stool negative females (68% vs 30%, p = 0.04). There was no significant difference in symptoms between stool positive and stool negative male patients (34.6% vs 31%, p = 0.91). The results suggested an association between intestinal nematode infection and abdominal symptoms in females but not in males.
Between June 1985 and December 1988, 58 cases of gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum were admitted to the neonatal unit at the University Hospital (USM). Of these, 15 (25.9%) cases were due to penicillin-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoea. Of the 58 cases, 56 cases were treated effectively with a single dose of antibiotic given systemically. The mean period of recovery was shorter with spectinomycin in doses of 40 mg/kg than with cefotaxime (100 mg/kg). There was no permanent sequelae in the treated cases. An increasing incidence of infection with penicillin-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoea has been observed in the area of study.