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Edoa JR, Adégbitè BR, Honkpéhèdji YJ, Zinsou JF, Boussougou-Sambe ST, Woldearegai TG, Mordmüller B, Adegnika AA, Dejon-Agobé JC. Epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminth infections and the differential effect of treatment on the distribution of helminth species in rural areas of Gabon. Trop Med Health 2024; 52:3. [PMID: 38163912 PMCID: PMC10759385 DOI: 10.1186/s41182-023-00567-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are a public health concern in endemic areas. For efficient control, the epidemiology of the disease needs to be monitored. This report assesses the prevalence, incidence, post-treatment infection (PTI) rate, and risk factors for STH infections in two rural areas of Gabon. METHOD In this longitudinal and prospective study, participants aged six to 30 years from the vicinity of Lambaréné and selected households using a simple randomization process were included and followed in two consecutive periods of six and nine months. Stool samples were obtained at the beginning and the end of each follow-up phase (FUP). The Kato-Katz technique was used for the detection of STH eggs, while the Harada-Mori technique and coproculture were used for the detection of larvae in stool processed within a maximum of four hours of collection. Prevalence was determined at the three main time points of the study, incidence was assessed during the two study phases, and PTI was defined as an infection detected nine months post-treatment. RESULTS A total of 262 participants were included. The overall prevalence of STH infections was 42% (95%CI: 34-50) and 44% (95%CI: 37-51) at baseline for the six and nine month FUPs, respectively. Trichuris trichiura was the most prevalent species at each time point of assessment. The cumulative incidence of STH at the 6- and 9-month follow-ups was 18% (95%CI: 12-27) and 35% (95%CI: 27-43), respectively, while the incidence rates were 41 (95%CI: 28-55) and 56 (95%CI: 46-67) per 100 person-years, respectively. The PTI rates at the 9-month follow-up for T. trichiura, hookworm, and Ascaris lumbricoides were 58% (95%CI: 41-74), 31% (95%CI: 11-59) and 18% (95%CI: 5-40), respectively. The STH infection intensity was generally light. CONCLUSION The prevalence level of STH infection is moderate in the vicinity of Lambaréné, with T. trichiura being the most prevalent species. Our results reveal a rapid spread of the disease in the population mainly following intervention, particularly for trichuriasis, and therefore call for the full implementation of the World Health Organization's recommendations in the area. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT02769013. Registered 21 April 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02769013.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Ronald Edoa
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
| | - Bayodé Roméo Adégbitè
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location AMC, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Fondation Pour la Recherche Scientifique, ISBA, P.O. Box 88, Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Yabo Josiane Honkpéhèdji
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Fondation Pour la Recherche Scientifique, ISBA, P.O. Box 88, Cotonou, Bénin
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jeannot Fréjus Zinsou
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Fondation Pour la Recherche Scientifique, ISBA, P.O. Box 88, Cotonou, Bénin
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stravensky Térence Boussougou-Sambe
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tamirat Gebru Woldearegai
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Mordmüller
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ayola Akim Adegnika
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, P.O. Box 242, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Fondation Pour la Recherche Scientifique, ISBA, P.O. Box 88, Cotonou, Bénin
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Tübingen, Germany
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Rahimi BA, Rafiqi N, Tareen Z, Kakar KA, Wafa MH, Stanikzai MH, Beg MA, Dost AK, Taylor WR. Prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths and associated risk factors among primary school children in Kandahar, Afghanistan: A cross-sectional analytical study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011614. [PMID: 37695763 PMCID: PMC10513306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are global health problem, especially in low-income countries. Main objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and intensity of STH and its risk factors among school children in Kandahar city of Afghanistan. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This was a school-based cross-sectional analytical study, with data collected during eight-month-period (May-December, 2022) from 6- and 12-years old school children in Kandahar city, Afghanistan. All the stool samples were examined by saline wet mount method and Kato-Katz technique. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Chi square test, and multivariate logistic regression. A total of 1275 children from eight schools of Kandahar city were included in this study. Mean age of these children was 8.3 years with 53.3% boys. The overall prevalence of any intestinal parasitic infection was 68.4%. The overall prevalence of STH infection was 39.1%, with Ascaris lumbricoides (29.4%) as the most prevalent STH species. Mean intensity of overall STH infection was 97.8. Multivariate logistic regression revealed playing barefoot (AOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.2), not washing hands after defecating and before eating (AOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7), having untrimmed nails (AOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8), and belonging to poor families (AOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7) as the risk factors associated with the predisposition of school children for getting STH in Kandahar city of Afghanistan. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE There is high prevalence of STH among school children of Kandahar city in Afghanistan. Most of the risk factors are related to poverty, decreased sanitation, and improper hygiene. Improvement of socioeconomic status, sanitation, and health education to promote public awareness about health and hygiene together with periodic mass deworming programs are better strategies for the control of STH infections in Afghanistan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Ahmad Rahimi
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Malalay Institute of Higher Education, Kandahar, Afghanistan
| | - Najeebullah Rafiqi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
| | - Zarghoon Tareen
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
| | - Khalil Ahmad Kakar
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Malalay Institute of Higher Education, Kandahar, Afghanistan
| | - Mohammad Hashim Wafa
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
| | | | - Mohammad Asim Beg
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Khaliq Dost
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, Afghanistan
| | - Walter R. Taylor
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Clinical Research Unit (MORU), Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Ribado Meñe G, Dejon Agobé JC, Momo Besahà JC, Abaga Ondo Ndoho F, Abdulla S, Adegnika AA. Prevalence, intensity and associated risk factors of soil-transmitted helminth infections among individuals living in Bata district, Equatorial Guinea. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011345. [PMID: 37196007 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil transmitted Helminths (STH) infections remain a public health concern worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas where these diseases are highly endemic. Knowing the prevalence and risk factors of the disease is crucial for efficient STH control strategies in endemic areas. The scarcity of epidemiological data on STH for Equatorial Guinea has motivated the decision to perform the present study. METHODS A cluster-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Bata district from November 2020 to January 2021. Stool samples were collected for the diagnostic of STH infections using Kato-Katz technique. Descriptive statistics was performed for determination of STH prevalence and intensity, while logistic regression models were used to assess the risk factors associated with STH infections. RESULTS A total of 340 participants were included in the study with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 23.7) and 1.2 female-to-male sex-ratio. The overall prevalence of any STH was 60% (95%CI: 55-65). The most prevalent species were Ascaris lumbricoides (43%, 95%CI: 37-48) and Trichuris trichiura (40%, 95%CI: 35-46). Intensity of infection were mainly light to moderate. A trend of association was observed between age and any STH infection (overall p-value = 0.07), with a significant difference observed between children aged 5-14 years as compared to those aged 1-4 (aOR 2.12; 95%CI: 1.02-4.43, p-value = 0.04), while locality was significantly associated with STH infection (overall p-value<0.001) with a higher odds observed for peri-urban area as compared to urban area (aOR 4.57; 95%CI: 2.27-9.60, p-value<0.001). CONCLUSION Bata district is a high STH transmission area, where school-aged children and peri-urban areas are associated with a higher risk of any STH infection. This situation calls for a full implementation of the WHO recommendations for STH control; mass drug administration of anthelminthic twice a year to the whole population with great attention to school age children, and prioritizing peri-urban areas where safe water, improve sanitation, and hygiene education should be implemented to achieve a better control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gertrudis Ribado Meñe
- Department of Environmental Education and Outreach, Faculty of Environment, National University of Equatorial Guinea, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
- Ecole Doctorale Régional de l'Afrique centrale en infectiologie Tropicale, Franceville, Gabon
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné, Gabon
| | - Jean Claude Dejon Agobé
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tubingen and Partner site Tubingen, German Center for Infection Research, Tubingen, Germany
| | - Juan Carlos Momo Besahà
- Department of health and safety, Bioko Island Malaria Elimination project in Equatorial Guinea, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
| | | | - Salim Abdulla
- Department of intervention, Ifakara Health Institute, Dar-es- salaam, Tanzania
| | - Ayôla Akim Adegnika
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tubingen and Partner site Tubingen, German Center for Infection Research, Tubingen, Germany
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Fondation pour la Recherche Scientifique, (FORS) Cotonou, Benin
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Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections among Schoolchildren around Lake Tana, Northwest Ethiopia. J Parasitol Res 2022; 2022:4603638. [PMID: 36605478 PMCID: PMC9810415 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4603638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are among the most common neglected tropical diseases widely distributed in tropical countries with poor socioeconomic development. Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm are the three major STHs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of STHs and associated risk factors among schoolchildren in selected primary schools around Lake Tana, Northwestern Ethiopia. Methods A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to May 2021 involving 337 study participants. A systematic random sampling method was utilized to select the study participants from the selected schools. Data related to sociodemographic characteristics of the study participants and risk factors for STH infections were collected using a pretested questionnaire. Stool samples were collected in sterile plastic containers from each participant and processed using Kato-Katz thick fecal smear and Ritchie's concentration techniques. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software tool version 23, and factors with a p < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results The overall prevalence of STH infection was 38.3% (95% CI: 33.1-43.7). Hookworm infection was the predominant STH infection, which was detected in 26.1% schoolchildren followed by A. lumbricoides (14.8%) and T. trichiura (1.5%). Most of the study subjects (34.1%) had single infections, whereas only 4.2% study subjects had multiple helminthic infections. Among the risk factors considered in the study, lack of shoe wearing habit (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=29.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]=6.59-132.55; p < 0.001), lack of knowledge on the prevention and control methods (AOR = 5.41; 95% CI = 2.44-11.98; p < 0.001), engagement in irrigation activities (AOR = 2.14; 95% CI = 1.02-4.57, p = 0.049), lack of toilet (AOR = 3.06; 95% CI = 1.31-7.16; p = 0.01), children grades of 5-8 (AOR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.26-5.43; p = 0.01), playing on soils (AOR = 5.90; 95% CI = 2.79-12.49; p < 0.001), lack of fingernail trimming habit (AOR = 3.21; 95% CI = 1.57-6.55; p = 0.001), and male gender (AOR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.19-4.39; p = 0.013) were significant explanatory factors for STH infection among schoolchildren in the study area. Conclusions The present study showed that STHs were common among schoolchildren around Lake Tana. Therefore, education on personal and environmental hygiene should be taken into account to reduce the prevalence of STH infection in the study area.
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Advantages and Limitations of Microscopy and Molecular Detections for Diagnosis of Soil-transmitted Helminths: An Overview. Helminthologia 2022; 59:321-340. [PMID: 36875683 PMCID: PMC9979072 DOI: 10.2478/helm-2022-0034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over 1.5 billion people are infected by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) worldwide in sub-Saharan Africa, the United States of America, China, and East Asia. Heavy infections and polyparasitism are associated with higher morbidity rates, and the patients are exposed to increased vulnerability to other diseases. Therefore, accurate diagnosis followed by mass treatment for morbidity control is necessary.STH diagnosis commonly involves the microscopic observation of the presence of the STH eggs and larvae in the faecal samples. Furthermore, molecular approaches are increasingly utilised in monitoring and surveillance as they show higher sensitivity. Their capability to differentiate hookworm species is an advantage over the Kato-Katz technique. This review discusses the advantages and limitations of microscopy and various molecular tools used for STH detection.
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