Advances in Strongyloidiasis: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease and a Special Tribute in Memory of Professor Rick Speare (1946–2016)

Strongyloidiasis is a preventable chronic infectious disease caused by Strongyloides stercoralis, a unique pathogenic helminth that affects an estimated 614 million people worldwide, and the disease has now been included in The World Health Organization’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap for 2021–2030. Strongyloidiasis has non-specific clinical manifestations and carries a risk of fatal dissemination, that can occur decades after the initial infection. This Special Issue focuses on advances in knowledge on strongyloidiasis, including epidemiology, diagnosis, and control of the disease. The scope is deliberately broad, extending from clinical cases to One Health strategies for prevention and control, with the aim of raising awareness of this underrecognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated disease. We are also keen to underline that strongyloidiasis cases often indicate other environmental health issues, such as failing environmental health hardware. We aim to encourage researchers and health professionals with an interest in strongyloidiasis to share and disseminate their findings, with the overarching goal of preventing clinical complications, transmission, and ultimately, eliminating this neglected disease in endemic communities.

The international journal Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year and, to mark the occasion, this Special Issue on “Advances in Strongyloidiasis: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease and a Special Tribute in Memory of Emeritus Professor Rick Speare (1946-2016)”. Rick Speare’s expertise and pragmatic but passionate approach to strongyloidiasis prevention and control led him to establish the National Strongyloides Working Group (now Strongyloides Australia) in 2001, with the vision to eliminate strongyloidiasis in endemic Indigenous communities in Australia. Rick was the inaugural President and a co-founder of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine (ACTM) in 1991. This open-access journal is the official journal of ACTM.

Dear Colleagues,

We write to you because of your special interest in Strongyloides stercoralis and strongyloidiasis. We invite you to contribute to the Special Issue on “Advances in Strongyloidiasis: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease and a Special Tribute in Memory of Emeritus Professor Rick Speare (1946-2016)”.

As you know, the World Health Organization have now included strongyloidiasis in the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap for 2021-2030. This Special Issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease focuses on advances in knowledge on strongyloidiasis, including its epidemiology, diagnosis, and control. The scope is deliberately broad, extending from clinical cases to One Health strategies for prevention and control, with the purpose of raising awareness of this underrecognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated disease. We are also keen to underline that strongyloidiasis cases often indicate other environmental health issues, such as failing environmental health hardware. We acknowledge that there are no easy fixes, but we aim to share challenges, strategies and solutions. We encourage you to publish your findings to support this celebratory issue and continue Rick’s pragmatic passion for One Health and eliminating strongyloidiasis in endemic communities. The ultimate aim is to support the WHO NTD Roadmap on Strongyloides control by addressing challenges and sharing solutions. 

Dr. Wendy Page
Dr. Kirstin Ross
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• strongyloidiasis
• Strongyloides stercoralis
• lifecycle
• prevention
• control
• epidemiology
• diagnosis
• treatment
• population health
• environmental health