Brandon-Mong G J, Abdullah N A, Shukor N, Jaturas N, Richard R L, Choo J C, Majid M A A, Mahboob T, Tan T C, Sawangjaroen N, Nissapatorn V
Department of Parasitology (Southeast Asia for Neglected Tropical Diseases), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000, Thailand.
Trop Biomed. 2017 Jun 1;34(2):363-374.
Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is a group of parasitic nematodes, including Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, which can cause gastrointestinal disorders in humans. STH is prevalent among neglected communities in both developing and developed countries. This present study aims to determine the current prevalence of STH infections in Aboriginal population after mass delivering of antihelminthic drugs was proposed by WHO in 2005 and a health education learning package (HELP) was initiated in Malaysia in 2012. A total of 235 human fecal samples were collected and a pre-tested questionnaire was given to gather information about the socio-demographic of the Aborigine communities living in Kedah and Selangor, Malaysia. The samples were screened by a direct-fecal smear and confirmed by formalin-ether sedimentation methods. From human faeces, 81.7% was found to be infected with one or more STH species. T. trichiura was the most commonly detected (76.6%), followed by hookworms (26.4%) and A. lumbricoides (19.1%). Triple infections were found in 6.4% of the studied population. Univariate analysis showed that individuals with age group, male, presence of indoor toilet, family size with <7 members and bad living habits (i.e., without antihelminthic drugs) were significantly associated with STH infections. The analysis further showed that walking barefoot was the significant contributing factor to hookworm infections. The high prevalence of human STH infections is alarming. Thus, the urgency in implementing health education related behavioral practice and hygiene to reduce disease burden in these rural communities are a crucial need.
土源性蠕虫（STH）是一组寄生线虫，包括毛首鞭形线虫、蛔虫、十二指肠钩口线虫和美洲板口线虫，可导致人类胃肠道疾病。STH在发展中国家和发达国家的贫困社区中普遍存在。本研究旨在确定在世界卫生组织于2005年提议大规模投放抗蠕虫药物以及马来西亚于2012年启动健康教育学习包（HELP）之后，原住民中土源性蠕虫感染的当前流行情况。总共收集了235份人类粪便样本，并发放了一份预先测试过的问卷，以收集有关居住在马来西亚吉打州和雪兰莪州的原住民社区社会人口统计学的信息。样本通过直接粪便涂片进行筛查，并通过福尔马林-乙醚沉淀法进行确认。在人类粪便中，发现81.7%的样本感染了一种或多种土源性蠕虫。毛首鞭形线虫是最常检测到的（76.6%），其次是钩虫（26.4%）和蛔虫（19.1%）。在6.4%的研究人群中发现了三重感染。单因素分析表明，年龄组、男性、有室内厕所、家庭规模小于7人以及不良生活习惯（即未服用抗蠕虫药物）的个体与土源性蠕虫感染显著相关。分析进一步表明，赤脚行走是钩虫感染的重要促成因素。人类土源性蠕虫感染的高流行率令人担忧。因此，迫切需要在这些农村社区实施与健康教育相关的行为实践和卫生措施，以减轻疾病负担。
