Ministry of Health, Government of the Republic of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023 Nov 20;17(11):e0011561. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011561. eCollection 2023 Nov.
Intestinal helminth infections are among the most common infections worldwide and have a negative impact on the health, education, nutrition and economic development of affected populations. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis, including T. solium taeniasis, using a large-scale community-based study in Chiparamba area of Chipata District in the Eastern province of Zambia.
METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2022 in a rural community of 25 randomly selected villages known to be at risk for T. solium infection. Stool samples were examined for intestinal helminths using the formol-ether concentration technique and further tested for taeniasis by copro antigen-ELISA (copro Ag-ELISA). Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted, and associations between the disease prevalence of active infections and individual- and village-level variables were determined using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Predictors of an individual being positive for either taeniasis or other soil-transmitted helminths were determined using binary logistic regression. A total of 2762 stool samples were examined. One hundred ninety-five (7.1%) tested positive for at least one helminthic parasite on microscopy, with hookworm being the most frequent 84 (3.0%), followed by S. mansoni, 66 (2.4%). For taeniasis, 11 (0.4%) participants were positive for Taenia spp. microscopically, while 241 (8.7%) tested positive via copro Ag-ELISA. On bivariate analysis, male sex was significantly associated with the prevalence of intestinal parasites (p = 0.012) but not with that of taeniasis based on copro Ag-ELISA results. Village level differences were significant for infection with intestinal helminths as well as for taeniasis positivity on copro Ag-ELISA (p <0.001).
Intestinal helminths, including T. solium taeniasis, are prevalent in Chiparamba area of Chipata district in the eastern province of Zambia, supporting the clear need for further targeted public health interventions for surveillance and control.
肠道蠕虫感染是全球最常见的感染之一，对受影响人群的健康、教育、营养和经济发展产生负面影响。本研究旨在使用赞比亚东部省奇帕塔区奇帕伦巴地区的一项大规模社区为基础的研究来估计肠道蠕虫病（包括猪带绦虫带绦虫病）的流行率。
方法/主要发现：2019 年 6 月至 2022 年 12 月，在一个已知有猪带绦虫感染风险的 25 个随机选定村庄的农村社区进行了横断面研究。使用福尔马林-乙醚浓缩技术检查粪便样本中的肠道蠕虫，并进一步通过粪便抗原-ELISA（coproAg-ELISA）检测带绦虫病。进行描述性统计分析，并使用卡方或 Fisher 确切检验确定疾病流行率与个体和村庄水平变量之间的关联。使用二项逻辑回归确定个体对带绦虫病或其他土壤传播性蠕虫呈阳性的预测因子。共检查了 2762 份粪便样本。195 份（7.1%）显微镜检查至少有一种寄生虫呈阳性，其中钩虫最为常见 84 例（3.0%），其次是曼氏血吸虫 66 例（2.4%）。带绦虫病方面，11 名（0.4%）参与者显微镜下呈带绦虫属阳性，241 名（8.7%）通过 coproAg-ELISA 呈阳性。在单变量分析中，男性与肠道寄生虫的流行率显著相关（p = 0.012），但与 coproAg-ELISA 结果的带绦虫病无关。肠道蠕虫感染以及 coproAg-ELISA 阳性的带绦虫病在村庄层面存在显著差异（p <0.001）。
肠道蠕虫，包括猪带绦虫带绦虫病，在赞比亚东部省奇帕塔区奇帕伦巴地区流行，这支持了对进一步有针对性的公共卫生干预措施进行监测和控制的明确需求。
