School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0268792. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268792. eCollection 2022.
Large-scale deworming programs have been successful in reducing the burden of disease due to soil-transmitted helminth (STH; Ascaris lumbricloides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworm) infections, but re-infection in absence of other measures is unavoidable. We assessed the role of nail contamination as a source of infection with the goal to evaluate the potential of nail clipping as a simple measure to further reduce STH-attributable morbidity.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jimma Town (Ethiopia). Both stool samples and clipped nails were collected from 600 schoolchildren and microscopically screened for the presence of STHs. We also interviewed the children to gain insights into their hygiene practices. Subsequently, we explored any associations between infection, nail contamination and personal hygiene.
Any STH infections were observed in 24.3% of the children (A. lumbricoides: 18.5%; T. trichiura: 9.8%; hookworm: 0.5%). The intensity of the infections was mainly low, only in a few cases a moderate-to-heavy intensity infection was observed (A. lumbricoides: 4.3%; T. trichiura: 0.2%). Other helminth species observed were Schistosoma mansoni (5.0%), Hymenolepis nana (2.7%), Taenia spp. and Enterobius vermicularis (<1.0%). The analysis of the nail material revealed the presence of A. lumbricoides (1.7%), Taenia spp. (1.0%), T. trichiura (0.5%), E. vermicularis (0.5%) and H. nana (0.2%). The odds of infection with any STH increased as the frequency of trimming decreased. The odds of nail contamination with any STH and A. lumbricoides were higher for younger children.
The presence of helminth eggs under the nails of children highlights a poor personal hygiene. The association between any STH infection and frequency of nail trimming needs to be explored in an intervention study. The recent prevalence of any STH infections indicated that scaling down of the frequency of deworming is justified but that STH is still a public health problem.
大规模的驱虫计划已成功降低了土壤传播性蠕虫（STH；蛔虫、鞭虫和钩虫）感染所致疾病负担，但在没有其他措施的情况下，再次感染是不可避免的。我们评估了指甲污染作为感染源的作用，旨在评估剪指甲作为进一步降低 STH 相关发病率的简单措施的潜力。
在吉姆马镇（埃塞俄比亚）进行了一项横断面研究。从 600 名学童中采集粪便样本和剪下的指甲，并进行显微镜检查以检测 STH 的存在。我们还采访了这些儿童，以了解他们的卫生习惯。随后，我们探讨了感染、指甲污染和个人卫生之间的任何关联。
24.3%的儿童存在任何 STH 感染（蛔虫：18.5%；鞭虫：9.8%；钩虫：0.5%）。感染强度主要较低，只有少数情况下观察到中度至重度感染（蛔虫：4.3%；鞭虫：0.2%）。观察到的其他寄生虫包括曼氏血吸虫（5.0%）、微小膜壳绦虫（2.7%）、带绦虫和蛲虫（<1.0%）。对指甲材料的分析显示存在蛔虫（1.7%）、带绦虫（1.0%）、鞭虫（0.5%）、蛲虫（0.5%）和微小膜壳绦虫（0.2%）。随着修剪频率的降低，感染任何 STH 的几率增加。年龄较小的儿童指甲污染任何 STH 和蛔虫的几率更高。
儿童指甲下存在寄生虫卵突出了个人卫生状况不佳。需要在干预研究中探讨任何 STH 感染与指甲修剪频率之间的关联。最近任何 STH 感染的流行率表明，减少驱虫频率是合理的，但 STH 仍然是一个公共卫生问题。
