Epidemiology of intestinal helminthiasis with an emphasis on taeniasis in Chipata district of the Eastern province of Zambia

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis, includingT.solium taeniasis, using a large-scale community-based study in Chiparamba area of Chipata District in the Eastern province of Zambia. Methods/Principal findingsA cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2022 in a rural community of 25 randomly selected villages known to be at risk forT.solium infection. Stool samples were examined for intestinal helminths using the formol-ether concentration technique and further tested for taeniasis by copro antigen-ELISA (copro Ag-ELISA). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted, and associations between the disease prevalence of active infections and individual- and village-level variables were determined using the chi-square or Fisher ’s exact test. Predictors of an individual being positive for either taeniasis or other soil-transmitted helminths were determined using binary logistic regression. A total of 2762 stool samples were examined. One hundred ninety-five (7.1%) tested positive for at least one helminthic parasite on m icroscopy, with hookworm being the most frequent 84 (3.0%), followed byS.mansoni, 66 (2.4%). For taeniasis, 11 (0.4%) participants were positive forTaenia spp. microscopically, while 241 (8.7%) tested positive via copro Ag-ELISA. On bivariate analysis, male sex was significantly associated with the prevalence of intestinal parasites (p = 0.012) but not with that of taeniasis based on copro Ag-ELISA...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research