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Detection of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato in Environmental Samples from Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria. Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9120679. [PMID: 36548840 PMCID: PMC9784236 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9120679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental contamination with parasite eggs poses a serious risk to public health. This study aimed to assess the presence of taeniid eggs and, in particular, E. granulosus s.l., in environmental samples in the city of Ibadan, South West Nigeria. To this purpose, soil (n = 200), fecal (n = 200) and water samples (n = 50) were examined by microscopic observation and the multiplex PCR method. The influence of specific environmental factors on E. granulosus s.l. egg dispersion was also evaluated. Taeniid eggs were microscopically found in 11.5%, 25.5% and 8.0% of soil, fecal and water samples, respectively. PCR analyses evidenced the presence of E. granulosus s.l. in 8.0%, 24.0% and 2.0% of soil, fecal and water samples, respectively. The proximity to slaughterhouses, the level of urbanisation and the local government area of belonging did not seem to affect E. granulosus s.l. egg dissemination patterns. Our results have clearly demonstrated that both urban and semi-urban areas of the city of Ibadan in Nigeria are highly contaminated by taeniid eggs and we recommend the adoption of appropriate measures to control E. granulosus s.l.
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Potentials and challenges in the isolation and detection of ascarid eggs in complex environmental matrices. Food Waterborne Parasitol 2022; 28:e00174. [PMID: 36017135 PMCID: PMC9396397 DOI: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2022.e00174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ascarid infections constitute a major concern for both human and animal health risk assessment. Although being effectively transmitted by soil, water and contaminated food, reliable detection of ascarid eggs in environmental media often remains challenging. However, contamination of the environment with ascarid ova has gained more attention as a decisive part of proper risk assessment in recent years. Due to various factors, such as sample matrices, dissociation detergents and flotation solutions, defined and standardised protocols for the isolation of eggs from complex environmental matrices are difficult to establish and therefore limited. Thus, this study reviews common techniques used for the recovery of ascarid eggs from environmental media with special emphasis on sampling strategies, purification procedures and microscopic as well as molecular detection of egg contamination. Despite various advancements, mainly in the field of molecular methods leading to more reliable and sensitive detection, it can be concluded that there is still a need for unified guidelines for sampling and recovery of ascarid eggs derived from complex environmental matrices. Standardised methods to assess environmental ascarid egg contamination are needed. The environmental sampling strategy has to be adapted to the study hypothesis. Egg detection mostly relies on matrix homogenisation, filtration, sedimentation and flotation. Microscopic detection is still frequently applied. Molecular methods enable more reliable and sensitive detection.
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Nath TC, Lee D, Park H, Islam S, Sabuj SS, Hossain A, Ndosi BA, Kang Y, Bia MM, Kim S, Choe S, Eom KS. Insights into geohelminth contamination in Bangladesh: feasibility of a modified diagnostic method and prevalence study. Int J Infect Dis 2021; 110:449-456. [PMID: 34375759 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The objectives of this study were to evaluate a modified method for isolating geohelminth eggs and to assess the geohelminth contamination in Bangladesh. METHODS The efficacy of the modified method was evaluated using naturally contaminated and experimentally seeded soil samples. In total, 240 samples were assessed from four different sites in three geographic contexts. A questionnaire survey with 50 professionals was conducted. RESULTS The modified method showed considerable efficacy in isolating parasitic eggs from naturally contaminated soil (54.0%) and experimentally seeded soils (63.0% for Toxocara eggs and 52.0% for Ascaris eggs). The modified method was described as convenient by the majority of participants. Overall prevalence was 52.5%, with several species of helminth observed, including Toxocara sp., Ascaridia galli/Heterakis gallinarum, Ascaris sp., hookworms/strongyles, Capillaria sp., Trichuris sp., and taeniids). The contamination rate was found to be higher around livestock farms (76.7%), followed by latrines (63.3%), households (41.6%), and schools (28.3%). CONCLUSIONS The modified method was shown to be feasible in terms of field applicability and egg recovery rate, and could be adopted in low-resource settings. A substantial prevalence of geohelminths was observed, with some of the species associated with zoonoses. These findings highlight the urgent need for widespread mapping of geohelminths to avoid spillovers to animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilak Chandra Nath
- Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea; Department of Parasitology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh; Parasite Resource Bank, Bangladesh.
| | - Dongmin Lee
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea
| | - Hansol Park
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea
| | - Saiful Islam
- Department of Parasitology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh; Parasite Resource Bank, Bangladesh
| | | | | | - Barakaeli Abdieli Ndosi
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea; Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, Tanzania
| | - Yeseul Kang
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea
| | - Mohammed Mebarek Bia
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea
| | - Sunmin Kim
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea
| | - Seongjun Choe
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea
| | - Keeseon S Eom
- International Parasite Resource Bank, South Korea; Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Center, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, South Korea.
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Systematic review and meta-analysis on the risk potential of zoonotic toxocariasis from soil contamination of public places in India. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS 2021; 24:100560. [PMID: 34024376 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2021.100560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Parasitic zoonoses despite of their potential threats to human health remain neglected especially in developing countries. Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati worms are considered important zoonotic parasites and the ability of their infective ova to sustain longer in suitable edaphic environments poses constant risk of infection to humans. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to highlight the burden and importance of soil borne toxocariasis in India. A total of 14 primary prevalence studies spanned over a period from 1985 to 2017 were included in this study. Due to expected variation between studies, a random-effects model was applied by using MetaXL add-on. The apparent prevalence based on the soil samples tested positive was found in the range of 2.11 to 31.0% while the weighted pooled prevalence was estimated as 11.26 (95% CI 07.59 - 15.54%). A high heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 93.39 and Q = 227.024, p = 0.00) confirmed the diversity of the populations under study. This meta-analysis highlights the need of more studies on soil transmission of zoonotic toxocariasis in India.
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First Molecular Characterization of Trichostrongylus colubriformis Infection in Rural Patients from Chile. Acta Parasitol 2020; 65:790-795. [PMID: 32319036 DOI: 10.2478/s11686-020-00206-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim was to characterize the infection by Trichostrongylus spp. in patients from Chile using a combination of molecular detection techniques and phylogenetic analysis relating the findings to clinical and epidemiological reports of the patients METHODS: Strongylid eggs were detected in seven patients by coproparasitological techniques. From each sample a fragment of the ITS-2 ribosomal gene was amplified by PCR, sequenced and analyzed by the Neighbor-Joining method. RESULTS All the sequences and phylogenetic clusters corresponded to T. colubriformis. Two samples presented a single nucleotide polymorphism showing two possible haplotypes. Six patients presented gastrointestinal symptoms. All of them lived on farms and used sheep manure as fertilizer. CONCLUSION T. colubriformis was the strongylid involved in the infections of these Chilean patients associated with the presence of livestock and agricultural practices that favor infection by this type of nematode.
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Lejeune M, Gnani Charitha V, Mathivathani C, Rayulu VC, Bowman DD. Canine Toxocariosis: Its prevalence, incidence and occurrence in the Indian subcontinent. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2020; 109:819-842. [PMID: 32381228 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2020.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Toxocariosis is an important neglected tropical helminth disease of zoonotic significance for which canids are the definitive hosts. Dogs are also considered the sentinel host for the occurrence of T. canis infections in humans. Therefore, understanding its prevalence in canine population is imperative for any effective disease control in humans. A comprehensive review of literature on the prevalence of T. canis in canids was lacking from the Indian subcontinent which necessitated our efforts to compile available data published on this topic. Data on prevalence, incidence and occurrence of this helminths in canids were presented in this review as tabular format for easy comprehension. Moreover, the data were categorized based on the region where the studies were conducted with an aim to understand the spatial distribution of this parasite in the subcontinent. Factors influencing the regional prevalence/occurrence of T. canis such as type of canids (stray or pet), age, sex, breed, season and the choice of analytical methods were also discussed. In addition, data on the prevalence of T. canis in environmental samples and in zoo canids were also compiled and presented. We anticipate such an exhaustive review of literature available mostly in the journals published from the subcontinent would become a point source of information necessary for prioritizing future surveillance efforts in this region and for making informed policy decision to control this zoonotic helminth infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manigandan Lejeune
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States.
| | - V Gnani Charitha
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - C Mathivathani
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary education and Research, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - V C Rayulu
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Dwight D Bowman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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Steinbaum L, Kwong LH, Ercumen A, Negash MS, Lovely AJ, Njenga SM, Boehm AB, Pickering AJ, Nelson KL. Detecting and enumerating soil-transmitted helminth eggs in soil: New method development and results from field testing in Kenya and Bangladesh. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005522. [PMID: 28379956 PMCID: PMC5393894 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, about 1.5 billion people are infected with at least one species of soil-transmitted helminth (STH). Soil is a critical environmental reservoir of STH, yet there is no standard method for detecting STH eggs in soil. We developed a field method for enumerating STH eggs in soil and tested the method in Bangladesh and Kenya. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method for enumerating Ascaris eggs in biosolids was modified through a series of recovery efficiency experiments; we seeded soil samples with a known number of Ascaris suum eggs and assessed the effect of protocol modifications on egg recovery. We found the use of 1% 7X as a surfactant compared to 0.1% Tween 80 significantly improved recovery efficiency (two-sided t-test, t = 5.03, p = 0.007) while other protocol modifications—including different agitation and flotation methods—did not have a significant impact. Soil texture affected the egg recovery efficiency; sandy samples resulted in higher recovery compared to loamy samples processed using the same method (two-sided t-test, t = 2.56, p = 0.083). We documented a recovery efficiency of 73% for the final improved method using loamy soil in the lab. To field test the improved method, we processed soil samples from 100 households in Bangladesh and 100 households in Kenya from June to November 2015. The prevalence of any STH (Ascaris, Trichuris or hookworm) egg in soil was 78% in Bangladesh and 37% in Kenya. The median concentration of STH eggs in soil in positive samples was 0.59 eggs/g dry soil in Bangladesh and 0.15 eggs/g dry soil in Kenya. The prevalence of STH eggs in soil was significantly higher in Bangladesh than Kenya (chi-square, χ2 = 34.39, p < 0.001) as was the concentration (Mann-Whitney, z = 7.10, p < 0.001). This new method allows for detecting STH eggs in soil in low-resource settings and could be used for standardizing soil STH detection globally. Intestinal worm infections are common in populations living in tropical, low-income countries. People primarily become infected when they consume intestinal worm eggs from contaminated water, hands, and food. Intestinal worm eggs are transmitted from infected people and spread through the environment, particularly via soil. There is no standard laboratory method for counting intestinal worm eggs in soil, which is a major barrier to comprehensive research on the transmission of infection. We tested different laboratory protocol steps to extract soil-transmitted helminth eggs, which is one type of intestinal worm, from soil and propose a new, fast, and efficient field method. We tested the method in Kenya and Bangladesh and found that soil contamination with helminth eggs was prevalent in both study areas. We propose that environmental contamination be included in discussions about intestinal worm transmission, control, and elimination, especially in areas with low infection prevalence. The method we propose will help researchers assess soil contamination, which can be used to examine the effectiveness of intestinal worm transmission control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Steinbaum
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Laura H. Kwong
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Ayse Ercumen
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Makeda S. Negash
- Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Amira J. Lovely
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Sammy M. Njenga
- Eastern and Southern Africa Center of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Alexandria B. Boehm
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Amy J. Pickering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Kara L. Nelson
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Collender PA, Kirby AE, Addiss DG, Freeman MC, Remais JV. Methods for Quantification of Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Environmental Media: Current Techniques and Recent Advances. Trends Parasitol 2015; 31:625-639. [PMID: 26440788 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Limiting the environmental transmission of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), which infect 1.5 billion people worldwide, will require sensitive, reliable, and cost-effective methods to detect and quantify STHs in the environment. We review the state-of-the-art of STH quantification in soil, biosolids, water, produce, and vegetation with regard to four major methodological issues: environmental sampling; recovery of STHs from environmental matrices; quantification of recovered STHs; and viability assessment of STH ova. We conclude that methods for sampling and recovering STHs require substantial advances to provide reliable measurements for STH control. Recent innovations in the use of automated image identification and developments in molecular genetic assays offer considerable promise for improving quantification and viability assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Collender
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Amy E Kirby
- Center for Global Safe Water, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Matthew C Freeman
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Justin V Remais
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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