Dr. Kassai Tibor szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 2. (Budapest, 1969)

Vitamin A deficiency, as we have learned (2, 10, 11, 13, 23, 24), is a world problem. In cases of secondary vitamin A deficiency, considerable progress could be made by screening and by removal of infected individuals from communities

.

Both pediatri cians and nutritionists should be in no doubt about the impor tance of giardiasis

, which has an even greater importance in children's homes. . • • Acknowledgement The authors thank Prof.O.WISS, of Hoffman-La Roche and Company, Basle, for generous gifts of vitamin A preparations and betacarotene. We are grateful to Mrs. Lili L. HUNYADY

, Mrs. Melinda H. PÁLMAI, Mrs. Edit K. SZILÁGYI and Mr. G.PETHEŐ for technical assistance, to Mr. L. BERÉNYI for preparing the figures. We are especially indebted to Dr. G. MAKARA for his valuable help, friendly advice, constructive criticism, and continuous encouragement

. Summary In two state homes for children the vitamin A level of G

. lamblla-Inf

ested,symptom-less children was lower than that of those free from infestation. Vitamin A supplementation given to ten children receiving no curative treatment caused only temporary improvement in their vitamin A status ; beta-carotene administration to another group of 10 children, though increasing the level of serum carotene (from 63,0/g to 152,0 /*g), did not alter the vitamin status. Successful treatment with antiparasitic drugs raised the vitamin A status of 25 children from a serum value of 52,5 IU/100 ml to 90,0 IU/100 ml expressed in medians. The vitamin A status of 10 cured children who received vitamin supplementation as well did not reach a higher value than that of patients who had received drugs ai one

.