-
Acta Tropica May 2017Parasitic infections are a serious public health problem because they cause anemia, growth retardation, aggression, weight loss, and other physical and mental health... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Parasitic infections are a serious public health problem because they cause anemia, growth retardation, aggression, weight loss, and other physical and mental health problems, especially in children. Numerous studies have been performed on intestinal parasitic infections in Iranian preschool and school children. However, no study has gathered and analyzed this information systematically. The aim of this study was to provide summary estimates for the available data on intestinal parasitic infections in Iranian children. We searched 9 English and Persian databases, unpublished data, abstracts of scientific congresses during 1996-2015 using the terms intestinal parasite, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Enterobiusvermicularis, oxyure, school, children, preschool, and Iran. We conducted meta-analysis using STATA, and for all statistical tests, p-value less than 0.05was considered significant. Among the 68,532 publications searched as a result, 103 were eligible for inclusion in the study. The prevalence rate of intestinal parasitic infections was 38% (95% CI- 33%, 43%). Prevalence of protozoa, helminthic intestinal infections, and non-pathogenic parasites was 16.9%, 9.48%, and 18.5%, respectively, which affected 14.27% males and 15.3% females. The rate of infection in preschool and school children was 38.19% and 43.37% respectively. Giardia, Enterobiusvermicularis and Entamoeba coli were the most common among protozoa, helminthic, and non-pathogenic infections (15.1%, 16.5%, and 7.1%, respectively). The data analyses indicated that the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection is decreasing in Iranian preschool and school children. Improvement of sanitation, personal hygiene, increased awareness of people, seasonal variations, and health education can be effective in reducing parasitic infections in different communities.
Topics: Animals; Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Iran; Prevalence; Schools
PubMed: 28130101
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.01.019 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Feb 2015Toxoplasmosis is an important, widespread, parasitic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The chronic infection in immunocompetent patients, usually considered as... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Toxoplasmosis is an important, widespread, parasitic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The chronic infection in immunocompetent patients, usually considered as asymptomatic, is now suspected to be a risk factor for various neurological disorders, including epilepsy. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature to estimate the risk of epilepsy due to toxoplasmosis.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was conducted of several databases and journals to identify studies published in English or French, without date restriction, which looked at toxoplasmosis (as exposure) and epilepsy (as disease) and met certain other inclusion criteria. The search was based on keywords and suitable combinations in English and French. Fixed and random effects models were used to determine odds ratios, and statistical significance was set at 5.0%.
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
Six studies were identified, with an estimated total of 2888 subjects, of whom 1280 had epilepsy (477 positive for toxoplasmosis) and 1608 did not (503 positive for toxoplasmosis). The common odds ratio (calculated) by random effects model was 2.25 (95% CI 1.27-3.9), p = 0.005.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite the limited number of studies, and a lack of high-quality data, toxoplasmosis should continue to be regarded as an epilepsy risk factor. More and better studies are needed to determine the real impact of this parasite on the occurrence of epilepsy.
Topics: Chronic Disease; Epilepsy; Humans; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Risk Factors; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasmosis
PubMed: 25695802
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003525 -
PloS One 2022Neospora caninum (N. caninum) is known to be a major cause of reproductive failure in cattle herds around the world. Therefore, the current comprehensive study was... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Neospora caninum (N. caninum) is known to be a major cause of reproductive failure in cattle herds around the world. Therefore, the current comprehensive study was performed to estimate the global prevalence of N. caninum infection in bovines that had an abortion and aborted fetuses.
METHODS
In this study, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest databases were systematically searched for relevant studies up until November 4, 2021. Pooled prevalence and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using a random effect model. Other analyzes performed on the data of this study include sensitivity analysis, publication bias test, and quality assessment.
RESULTS
The final analyses included 71 studies conducted on 2965 abortive cattle and 4805 aborted fetuses. The overall prevalence rates of N. caninum infection in bovines that had an abortion were 47% and 1% using serological and molecular methods. Furthermore, overall prevalence rates of N. caninum infection in bovine aborted fetuses globally were 35% (95% CI: 8%-62%) and 43% (95% CI: 35%-52%) using serological and molecular methods.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study showed the high prevalence of N. caninum infection in bovines that had an abortion and aborted fetuses. It is hoped that the results of this study will help prevent abortion in bovines around the world and encourage further studies to determine the impact of this parasite on the occurrence of abortion that may help reduce the economic damage caused by abortion worldwide.
Topics: Abortion, Veterinary; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Coccidiosis; Female; Fetus; Humans; Neospora; Pregnancy
PubMed: 35604902
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268903 -
PloS One 2021The epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is a major issue in public health. Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite. Toxoplasma parasite is at high risk... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is a major issue in public health. Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite. Toxoplasma parasite is at high risk for life-threatening diseases during pregnancy. Congenital toxoplasmosis results from a maternal infection acquired during gestation. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to determine the seropositive prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection among pregnant women who attended antenatal care in a health facility in Africa. A systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies were included. Databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, African Journals Online were used with relevant search terms. The quality of the articles was critically evaluated using the tool of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Data were extracted on Microsoft word 2016. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 14 software. The heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using the I2 statistics and Egger's test, respectively. Forest plots were used to present the pooled prevalence and odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval of meta-analysis using the random effect model. In total, 23 studies comprising 7,579 pregnant women across ten countries in Africa were included in this meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of seropositive toxoplasmosis among pregnant women in Africa was 51.01% (95% CI; 37.66, 64.34). The heterogeneity test showed that heterogeneity was high, I2 = 99.6%, P-value < 0.001. The variables responsible for the source of heterogeneity were included from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. Overall prevalence of toxoplasmosis in Africa showed that more than one-half of pregnant women were infected. The risk of acquiring toxoplasmosis infection during pregnancy is high; hence, preventive measures to avoid exposure of pregnant women to Toxoplasma infection should be strictly applied.
Topics: Adult; Cameroon; Congo; Ethiopia; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Pregnant Women; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasmosis; Young Adult
PubMed: 34283858
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254209 -
BMJ Clinical Evidence Jun 2010Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is asymptomatic or mild in immunocompetent people and leads to lifelong immunity, but it can have serious consequences in pregnancy.... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is asymptomatic or mild in immunocompetent people and leads to lifelong immunity, but it can have serious consequences in pregnancy. About five per 1000 non-immune pregnant women may acquire toxoplasma infection, with a 10% to 100% risk of transmission to the baby. Risks of transmission to the baby are higher later in pregnancy, but risks of infection causing harm to the baby are greater earlier in pregnancy.
METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects on mother and baby of treating toxoplasmosis during pregnancy? What are the effects of treating toxoplasmosis in neonates exposed to toxoplasmosis prenatally? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to May 2010 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
RESULTS
We found seven systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antiparasitic drugs in pregnancy, and antiparasitic drugs in neonates.
Topics: Acute Disease; Antiparasitic Agents; Humans; Incidence; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasmosis; Toxoplasmosis, Congenital
PubMed: 21418689
DOI: No ID Found -
Malaria Journal Sep 2023Global interest in malaria elimination has prompted research on active test and treat (TaT) strategies. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Global interest in malaria elimination has prompted research on active test and treat (TaT) strategies.
METHODS
A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the effectiveness of TaT strategies to reduce malaria transmission.
RESULTS
A total of 72 empirical research and 24 modelling studies were identified, mainly focused on proactive mass TaT (MTaT) and reactive case detection (RACD) in higher and lower transmission settings, respectively. Ten intervention studies compared MTaT to no MTaT and the evidence for impact on malaria incidence was weak. No intervention studies compared RACD to no RACD. Compared to passive case detection (PCD) alone, PCD + RACD using standard diagnostics increased infection detection 52.7% and 11.3% in low and very low transmission settings, respectively. Using molecular methods increased this detection of infections by 1.4- and 1.1-fold, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Results suggest MTaT is not effective for reducing transmission. By increasing case detection, surveillance data provided by RACD may indirectly reduce transmission by informing coordinated responses of intervention targeting.
Topics: Humans; Malaria
PubMed: 37661286
DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04670-8 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Feb 2017The relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and the development of bipolar disorder (BD) has long been investigated, yet to date it is still poorly understood... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and the development of bipolar disorder (BD) has long been investigated, yet to date it is still poorly understood and documented. The aim of this review is to derive a summary estimate of the strength of the association between infection with T. gondii and BD from the available published studies.
METHODS
A systematic review was performed using PubMed, LILACS, PsycINFO, and Embase databases. Studies which included a proportion of seropositive BD patients and controls were further examined in a meta-analysis.
RESULTS
One hundred eighteen citations were initially retrieved. Thirteen studies were included in our systematic review. Eight out of these thirteen studies were included in our meta-analysis. Statistical analyses showed that T. gondii infection is associated with with BD (OR=1.26).
LIMITATIONS
Small sample size was the major limitation among the studies that carried out serological analyses. In addition, the available studies did not have enough information on disease status/severity or type of bipolar disorder. Also, it was not possible to analyze pregnancy status or perinatal infection. Future studies addressing the aforementioned topics are clearly needed.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite heterogeneous results, patients with BD are more likely to be infected by T. gondii than controls. Early T. gondii infection might predispose the development of BD. T.gondii infection is becoming clinically relevant in psychiatric disorders and future mechanistic studies are required to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.
Topics: Bipolar Disorder; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Toxoplasmosis
PubMed: 27889597
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.11.016 -
Infectious Diseases of Poverty Apr 2017Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the human central nervous system, the most common form of which involves infection of the brain parenchyma with the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the human central nervous system, the most common form of which involves infection of the brain parenchyma with the larval form of the Taenia solium tapeworm. A causal relationship between such an NCC infection and the development of epilepsy in infected individuals is acknowledged, in part supported by high levels of comorbidity in endemic countries worldwide.
METHODS
This study undertook a systematic review and critical analysis of the NCC-epilepsy relationship with the primary objective of quantifying the risk of developing epilepsy following NCC infection. A secondary aim was to analyse the proportions of NCC-associated epilepsy within different populations. Significant emphasis was placed on the importance of neuroimaging (CT or MRI) availability and use of clear guidelines for epilepsy diagnosis, in order to avoid overestimations of prevalence rates of either condition; a limitation identified in several previous studies.
RESULTS
A common odds ratio of 2.76 was identified from meta-analysis of case-control studies, indicating that an individual infected with NCC has almost a three times higher risk of developing epilepsy than an uninfected individual. Furthermore, meta-analysis of studies identified a common proportion of 31.54% of epilepsy cases associated with NCC infection which suggests that amongst epileptic populations in at risk countries, approximately one-third may be associated with NCC infection.
CONCLUSION
A significant finding was the lack of good clinical data to enable accurate determination of a causal relationship. Even studies that were included had noticeable limitations, including a general lack of consistency in diagnostics, and lack of accurate epidemiological data. This review highlights a need for consistency in research in this field. In the absence of reliable estimates of its global burden, NCC will remain of low priority in the eyes of funding agencies - a truly neglected disease.
Topics: Animals; Comorbidity; Epilepsy; Humans; Neglected Diseases; Neurocysticercosis; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Taenia solium
PubMed: 28376856
DOI: 10.1186/s40249-017-0245-y -
PLoS Medicine Jan 2012In countries of high endemicity of the soil-transmitted helminth parasites Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm, preventive chemotherapy (i.e.,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
In countries of high endemicity of the soil-transmitted helminth parasites Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm, preventive chemotherapy (i.e., repeated administration of anthelmintic drugs to at-risk populations) is the main strategy to control morbidity. However, rapid reinfection of humans occurs after successful deworming, and therefore effective preventive measures are required to achieve public health goals with optimal efficiency and sustainability.
METHODS AND FINDINGS
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of sanitation (i.e., access and use of facilities for the safe disposal of human urine and feces) on infection with soil-transmitted helminths. PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and the World Health Organization Library Database were searched without language restrictions and year of publication (search performed until December 31, 2010). Bibliographies of identified articles were hand-searched. All types of studies reporting data on sanitation availability (i.e., having access at own household or living in close proximity to sanitation facility), or usage, and soil-transmitted helminth infections at the individual level were considered. Reported odds ratios (ORs) of the protective effect of sanitation on soil-transmitted helminth infections were extracted from the papers or calculated from reported numbers. The quality of published studies was assessed with a panel of criteria developed by the authors. Random effects meta-analyses were used to account for observed heterogeneity. Thirty-six publications, consisting of 39 datasets, met our inclusion criteria. Availability of sanitation facilities was associated with significant protection against infection with soil-transmitted helminths (OR = 0.46 to 0.58). Regarding the use of sanitation, ORs of 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28-1.02), 0.63 (95% CI 0.37-1.05), and 0.78 (95% CI 0.60-1.00) were determined for T. trichiura, hookworm, and A. lumbricoides, respectively. The overall ORs, combining sanitation availability and use, were 0.51 (95% CI 0.44-0.61) for the three soil-transmitted helminths combined, 0.54 (95% CI 0.43-0.69) for A. lumbricoides, 0.58 (95% CI 0.45-0.75) for T. trichiura, and 0.60 (95% CI 0.48-0.75) for hookworm.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite a number of limitations (e.g., most studies used a cross-sectional design and were of low quality, with potential biases and considerable heterogeneity), our results reveal that sanitation is associated with a reduced risk of transmission of helminthiases to humans. Access to improved sanitation should be prioritized alongside preventive chemotherapy and health education to achieve a durable reduction of the burden of helminthiases.
Topics: Ancylostomatoidea; Animals; Ascariasis; Ascaris lumbricoides; Hookworm Infections; Humans; Nematoda; Nematode Infections; Sanitation; Soil; Trichuriasis; Trichuris
PubMed: 22291577
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001162 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Nov 2020Hookworm is an intestinal parasite that infects nearly 230 million people, with another 5.1 billion at risk, especially in poverty-stricken tropical and subtropical... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Hookworm is an intestinal parasite that infects nearly 230 million people, with another 5.1 billion at risk, especially in poverty-stricken tropical and subtropical regions. Pregnancy is an especially vulnerable time for hookworm infection because of its effect on both maternal and subsequently fetal health. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. The meta-analysis was performed on the association between maternal hookworm and maternal anemia, as well as maternal hookworm coinfection with malaria. The prevalence of hookworm ranged from 1% to 78% in pregnant women, whereas malaria prevalence ranged from 11% to 81%. Pregnant women with hookworm infection were more likely to have anemia (combined odds ratio [cOR] 2.55 [2.20, 2.96], < 0.001). In addition, pregnant woman with hookworm were more likely to have malaria coinfection (cOR 1.60 [1.38, 1.86], < 0.001). Other effects on maternal and child health were investigated and summarized without systematic review or meta-analysis because of the limited study numbers. Despite current deworming recommendations in pregnant women, heavy hookworm burden, coinfection with malaria, and subsequent anemia persist. Although this is likely due, in part, to a lack of implementation of preventive chemotherapy, additional interventions such as health education, proper waste management, or linking malaria and soil-transmitted helminth treatment and prevention programs may also be needed. Further investigations on maternal-child outcomes as a result of hookworm infection during pregnancy will highlight public health interventional targets to reduce morbidity in pregnant women and children globally.
Topics: Ancylostomatoidea; Anemia; Animals; Cohort Studies; Coinfection; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Education; Hookworm Infections; Humans; Malaria; Maternal Health; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Public Health
PubMed: 32840198
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0503