Tackling neglect: treating schistosomiasis in pregnancy

A cluster randomized controlled trial for assessing POC-CCA test based praziquantel treatment for schistosomiasis control in pregnant women and their young children: study protocol of the freeBILy clinical trial in Madagascar

Background

Mass drug administration (MDA) of praziquantel is one of the main control measures against human schistosomiasis. Although there are claims for including pregnant women, infants and children under the age of 5 years in high-endemic regions in MDA campaigns, they are usually not treated without a diagnosis. Diagnostic tools identifying infections at the primary health care centre (PHCC) level could therefore help to integrate these vulnerable groups into control programmes. freeBILy (fast and reliable easy-to-use-diagnostics for eliminating bilharzia in young children and mothers) is an international consortium focused on implementing and evaluating new schistosomiasis diagnostic strategies. In Madagascar, the study aims to determine the effectiveness of a test-based schistosomiasis treatment (TBST) strategy for pregnant women and their infants and children up until the age of 2 years.

Methods

A two-armed, cluster-randomized, controlled phase III trial including 5200 women and their offspring assesses the impact of TBST on child growth and maternal haemoglobin in areas of medium to high endemicity of Schistosoma mansoni. The participants are being tested with the point of care-circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test, a commercially available urine-based non-invasive rapid diagnostic test for schistosomiasis. In the intervention arm, a POC-CCA-TBST strategy is offered to women during pregnancy and 9 months after delivery, for their infants at 9 months of age. In the control arm, study visit procedures are the same, but without the POC-CCA-TBST procedure. All participants are being offered the POC-CCA-TBST 24 months after delivery. This trial is being integrated into the routine maternal and child primary health care programmes at 40 different PHCC in Madagascar’s highlands. The purpose of the trial is to assess the effectiveness of the POC-CCA-TBST for controlling schistosomiasis in young children and mothers.

Discussion

This trial assesses a strategy to integrate pregnant women and their children under the age of 2 years into schistosomiasis control programmes using rapid diagnostic tests. It includes local capacity building for clinical trials and large-scale intervention research.

Trial registration

Pan-African Clinical Trial Register PACTR201905784271304. Retrospectively registered on 15 May 2019

Fast and reliable easy-to-use diagnostics for eliminating bilharzia in young children and mothers: An introduction to the freeBILy project

Schistosoma antigen detection tests have a large potential for schistosomiasis control programs due to their ability to detect active and ongoing Schistosoma infections, their much higher sensitivity compared to microscopical methods, and the possibility to use non-invasive urine samples. Pregnant women and young children could especially benefit from affordable and easy-to-use antigen tests as inclusion of these vulnerable groups in mass drug administration campaigns will always require higher justification hurdles, especially in low to middle endemic regions with a higher proportion of individuals who are not infected and thus unnecessarily exposed to praziquantel. The overall objective of the 'fast and reliable easy-to-use diagnostics for eliminating bilharzia in young children and mothers' (freeBILy, www.freeBILy.eu) project is to thoroughly evaluate the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) and the up-converting phosphor reporter particle, lateral flow circulating anodic antigen (UCP-LF CAA) urine strip tests to diagnose Schistosoma infections in pregnant women and young children and to assess their potential as a schistosomiasis control tool in test-and-treat strategies. The freeBILy project will generate valuable, evidence-based findings on improved tools and test-and-treat strategies to reduce the burden of schistosomiasis in pregnant women and young children.

Determinants of Urogenital Schistosomiasis Among Pregnant Women and its Association With Pregnancy Outcomes, Neonatal Deaths, and Child Growth

Background

Schistosoma haematobium is a parasitic helminth that causes urogenital pathology. The impact of urogenital schistosomiasis during pregnancy on birth outcomes and child growth is poorly understood.

Methods

Risk factors for urogenital schistosomiasis were characterized among 4437 pregnant women enrolled in a cluster-randomized community-based trial in rural Zimbabwe. Infection was defined via urine microscopy (≥1 S. haematobium egg) and urinalysis (hematuria). Associations between infection and pregnancy outcomes were assessed in case-control analyses using conditional logistic regression. The association of maternal infection with birthweight and length-for-age Z scores (LAZ) at 1 and 18 months of age were assessed using generalized estimating equations.

Results

Urogenital schistosomiasis (egg positive and/or hematuria positive) was detected in 26.8% of pregnant women. Risk factors significantly associated with infection were maternal age, education, marital status, and religion; household drinking water source and latrine; study region; and season. Urogenital schistosomiasis was not significantly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm, and small-for-gestational age), birthweight, neonatal death, or LAZ.

Conclusions

Including pregnant women in antihelminthic treatment programs would benefit a large number of women in rural Zimbabwe. However, clearance of the low-intensity infections that predominate in this context is unlikely to have additive benefits for pregnancy outcomes or child growth.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT01824940.

A case report of Schistosoma haematobium infection in a pregnant migrant raises concerns about lack of screening policies

Pregnant women with urinary schistosomiasis should be treated, but screening is not implemented in migrants. We report herein a case of a migrant diagnosed late into pregnancy, after diagnosis was made in her husband. Praziquantel was safe and effective. Schistosomiasis should be considered in pregnant women from endemic countries.