Instituto de Investigaciones Clinicas, Universidad del Zulia, Apartado Postal 23 Maracaibo 4001-A, Venezuela.
Instituto de Previsión y Asistencia Social del Ministerio de Educación, Laboratorio de Citología. Avenida Cecilio Acosta, Maracaibo 4005, Venezuela.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2023 Feb 1;117(2):83-90. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trac070.
Transmission dynamics of Cyclospora cayetanensis in endemic areas and the factors associated with soil contamination remain unclear. The effects of environmental factors on Cyclospora have been insufficiently studied, particularly in South America, thus a Venezuelan community was studied to profile risk factors for infection.
A cross-sectional stool survey of 732 individuals was conducted. For Cyclospora screening, an acid-fast-stained smear of formalin-ethyl acetate concentrate and ultraviolet (UV) epifluorescence examination of a wet mount were used. Water (n=14), soil (n=50) and produce (n=77) samples were collected, processed and examined by UV epifluorescence. Data were analysed using multivariate logistic regression.
Cyclospora infections were identified in 73 (9.9%) subjects. Variables associated with the infection were age ≤10 y (odds ratio [OR] 14), hut living (OR 5), well water use (OR 18.5), drinking untreated water (OR 7.6), toilet absence (OR 8), having contact with faeces-contaminated soil (OR 4) and poultry exposure (OR 3). Infections (63%) were clustered in 25 huts. Oocysts were identified in 28.6%, 18% and 3.9% of the water, soil and produce samples, respectively.
There was an explicit association of Cyclospora infection with extreme poverty and soil transmission reflecting the household socio-economic correlate of cyclosporiasis in this community.
环孢子虫在流行地区的传播动力学以及与土壤污染相关的因素仍不清楚。环境因素对环孢子虫的影响研究不足，特别是在南美洲，因此研究了委内瑞拉的一个社区，以分析感染的危险因素。
对 732 人进行了横断面粪便调查。为了筛查环孢子虫，使用了福尔马林-乙酸乙酯浓缩物的抗酸染色涂片和湿载片的紫外线（UV）荧光检查。收集、处理和检查了水（n=14）、土壤（n=50）和农产品（n=77）样本。使用多元逻辑回归分析数据。
在 73 名（9.9%）受试者中发现了环孢子虫感染。与感染相关的变量为年龄≤10 岁（比值比 [OR] 14）、棚屋居住（OR 5）、使用井水（OR 18.5）、饮用未经处理的水（OR 7.6）、无厕所（OR 8）、接触粪便污染的土壤（OR 4）和接触家禽（OR 3）。感染（63%）集中在 25 个棚屋中。在水、土壤和农产品样本中分别鉴定出卵囊 28.6%、18%和 3.9%。
环孢子虫感染与极度贫困和土壤传播明显相关，反映了该社区中环孢子虫病的家庭社会经济相关性。
