Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait.
Med Princ Pract. 2021;30(2):138-145. doi: 10.1159/000514873. Epub 2021 Feb 1.
Kuwait is considered a non-endemic country for most parasitic infections. However, ∼70% of 4.7 million residents in Kuwait are expatriates from Asian and African countries, which are endemic for parasitic infections. Results of microbiological investigations for schistosomiasis and cystic echinococcosis (CE) performed in a reference national laboratory were retrospectively collected and analyzed to provide an insight on the epidemiology of these 2 neglected tropical diseases in Kuwait.
Schistosoma infection in fecal and urine specimens from suspected patients was detected by microscopy. Schistosoma and CE infections were also detected by indirect hemagglutination assays (IHAs) using blood specimens. Patients' epidemiological data were extracted from the laboratory records.
The overall prevalence rates of schistosomiasis and CE were 19.0 and 5.8%, respectively. Almost all schistosomiasis cases were seen among Egyptians, especially among males, and a significantly higher prevalence (p < 0.05) was seen for CE cases among the Syrian residents. A decreasing annual trend was observed for both the parasitic infections over time in Kuwait.
This study confirmed that schistosomiasis is not autochthonous in Kuwait, as all cases were detected among expatriates from Schistosoma-endemic countries. Our data also showed that CE remains endemic among humans and livestock in Kuwait as is also seen in other Middle Eastern countries.
科威特被认为是大多数寄生虫感染的非地方性国家。然而，科威特的 470 万居民中有 70%是来自亚洲和非洲寄生虫感染地方性国家的侨民。为了深入了解这两种被忽视的热带病在科威特的流行病学情况，对一家国家参考实验室进行的血吸虫病和囊型包虫病（CE）微生物学调查结果进行了回顾性收集和分析。
通过显微镜检查粪便和尿液标本中的血吸虫感染。还使用血液标本通过间接血凝试验（IHA）检测血吸虫和 CE 感染。从实验室记录中提取患者的流行病学数据。
血吸虫病和 CE 的总患病率分别为 19.0%和 5.8%。几乎所有的血吸虫病病例都发生在埃及人身上，特别是男性，而叙利亚居民的 CE 病例患病率明显更高（p<0.05）。随着时间的推移，科威特的这两种寄生虫感染呈逐年下降趋势。
本研究证实，血吸虫病在科威特并非本地病，因为所有病例均在来自血吸虫病地方性国家的侨民中发现。我们的数据还表明，CE 仍然在科威特的人类和牲畜中流行，就像在其他中东国家一样。
