College of Health Sciences, Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Oct 29;13(10):e0007750. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007750. eCollection 2019 Oct.
The World Health Organization WHO has estimated that in developed countries, up to 30% of the population may suffer from foodborne diseases each year, and that in developing countries up to 2 million deaths per annum can be attributed to cryptosporidiosis. Reports have already emphasized the role of immigrants in outbreaks of parasitic diseases especially those working in food processing industries.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Herein we assessed Cryptosporidium spp. infections among immigrants in Qatar with a special focus on food handlers and housemaids. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. by q-PCR among 839 asymptomatic subjects was 4.5%. Based on the Gp60 gene, the majority of isolates were identified as C. parvum subtype IIdA20G1b. The positive sample for C. hominis was subtyped as IeA12G3T3. Seven mixed infections were also identified (four C. parvum + C. hominis, and three C. parvum + C. meleagridis). The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. did not differ significantly between the sexes or age classes but varied significantly between subjects affiliated to different religions with the lowest prevalence among the Muslims. Multifactorial analysis retained also marked significance with education, income, and a house contents index.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis and the risk factors associated with the likelihood of carrying this infection among immigrant workers from developing countries.
世界卫生组织（WHO）估计，在发达国家，每年高达 30%的人口可能患有食源性疾病，而在发展中国家，每年多达 200 万人的死亡可归因于隐孢子虫病。报告已经强调了移民在寄生虫病爆发中的作用，尤其是那些在食品加工行业工作的移民。
方法/主要发现：本文评估了卡塔尔移民中的隐孢子虫属感染情况，特别关注食品处理人员和家庭佣工。839 名无症状受试者的 q-PCR 总体隐孢子虫属感染率为 4.5%。基于 Gp60 基因，大多数分离株被鉴定为 C. parvum 亚型 IIdA20G1b。C. hominis 的阳性样本被分为 IeA12G3T3 亚型。还鉴定了 7 种混合感染（4 种 C. parvum + C. hominis 和 3 种 C. parvum + C. meleagridis）。隐孢子虫属感染率在性别或年龄组之间无显著差异，但在不同宗教信仰的受试者之间存在显著差异，穆斯林中的感染率最低。多因素分析也保留了与教育、收入和房屋内容指数显著相关的意义。
结论/意义：我们的研究结果有助于更好地了解隐孢子虫病的流行病学以及与发展中国家移民携带这种感染的可能性相关的风险因素。
