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Revista Medica de Chile Jul 2022Knowledge of the distribution cystic is required for its territorial control.
BACKGROUND
Knowledge of the distribution cystic is required for its territorial control.
AIM
To describe the spatial distribution of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato genotypes by host in the American continent.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A systematic review of studies from the American continent, related to genotypes of the E. granulosus s.l complex were included, including any host species, without restriction of language or year of publication. Sensitive searches were performed based on sensitive searches from PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS and WoS; SciELO and BIREME-BVS and Trip Database. MeSH and free terms were used, including articles up to December 2020. Cartography was carried out with the Arc Map 10® program, using a world geodetic system. Result variables sought were genotype, host, geographic location, year of publication, number of samples, genes used for genotyping.
RESULTS
From 1123 retrieved studies retrieved, 53 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies analyzed represent 3,397 samples from humans and animals. Thirty six percent of articles were published in the five-year period 2016-2020. Reports were mainly from Argentina (27.9%), Brazil (20.6%) and Chile (13.2%). The most reported genotypes globally were G1-G3 (47.3%), G7 (15.3%), G5 (14.6%) and G6 (13.3%). A predominance of G1-G3 and G6 genotypes was verified in South America, G8 and G10 in North America, and "epidemiological silence" in Central America and the Caribbean.
CONCLUSIONS
Spatial analysis allows defining the relationship of territories and cases with their own characteristics, which can help to plan control interventions.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Echinococcus granulosus; Echinococcosis; Argentina; Brazil; Genotype
PubMed: 37906829
DOI: 10.4067/s0034-98872022000700944 -
The Lancet. Microbe Aug 2022Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini, and Opisthorchis felineus are the three most important human liver fluke species in the Opisthorchiidae family, infecting... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini, and Opisthorchis felineus are the three most important human liver fluke species in the Opisthorchiidae family, infecting approximately 25 million people worldwide. Drug treatment is needed to control morbidity and is also useful in lowering transmission. Several drugs used in various regimens are available to treat these infections, but their comparative efficacy is uncertain. We aimed to compare the efficacy in terms of cure rate and egg reduction rate of currently registered drugs against human liver fluke infection.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review using readily available electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, KoreaMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data) without language restrictions from inception until June 29, 2021. Clinical trials with pairwise comparison of drugs (praziquantel, albendazole, mebendazole, tribendimidine, or combinations of these drugs) against C sinensis, O viverrini, and O felineus were eligible, including trials comparing these drugs or their combinations with placebo. We compared efficacy in terms of cure rate by network meta-analysis. We conducted mixed binomial regression analyses for each species to derive predicted median cure rates for each drug regimen. The models included treatment and infection intensity as fixed factors, year of publication as covariate, and random effects of the different studies assumed to be normally distributed. We also assessed the quality of the included studies. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018109232).
FINDINGS
Overall, 26 trials from 25 studies were included, of which 18 involved C sinensis, seven studied O viverrini, and one focused on O felineus. These trials included a total of 3340 participants. The two long-term treatment courses against C sinensis infection using 400 mg of albendazole (400 mg twice a day for 5 days and 400 mg twice a day for 7 days) resulted in cure rates of 100%, while two other multiple-dose regimens of albendazole resulted in high predicted cure rates: 300 mg twice a day for 5 days (93·9% [95% CI 49·6-99·6]) and 400 mg twice a day for 3 days (91·0% [50·9-99·0]). The WHO-recommended praziquantel regimen (25 mg/kg three times a day for 2 days) also showed a high predicted cure rate (98·5% [85·4-99·9]) in C sinensis infection, and predicted cure rates were above 90% for several other multiple-dose praziquantel regimens, including 20 mg/kg three times a day for 3 days (97·6% [74·7-99·8]), 14 mg/kg three times a day for 5 days (93·9% [44·8-99·7]), and 20 mg/kg twice a day for 3 days (91·0% [50·9-99·0]). In O viverrini infection, the regimen of 50 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of praziquantel given in a single day showed the highest predicted cure rate (93·8% [85·7-97·5]), while a single dose of 50 mg/kg praziquantel also resulted in a high predicted cure rate (92·1% [64·9-98·6]). The single dose of 400 mg tribendimidine showed a high predicted cure rate of 89·8% (77·5-95·8). A low quality of evidence was demonstrated in most studies, especially those published before 2000. Selection bias due to poor random sequence generation and allocation concealment was high, and performance and detection biases were frequently unreported.
INTERPRETATION
Praziquantel shows high efficacy against clonorchiasis and opisthorchiasis. Tribendimidine might serve as a treatment alternative and warrants further investigation. Although albendazole is efficacious when long treatment schedules (5 days or 7 days) are applied, limited size of studies and high risk of bias affect the interpretation of results. More high-quality studies are needed to promote the establishment of treatment guidelines for human liver fluke infection.
FUNDING
Fourth Round of Three-Year Public Health Action Plan (2015-2017; Shanghai, China) and Swiss National Science Foundation.
Topics: Albendazole; Animals; Anthelmintics; China; Clonorchiasis; Fascioliasis; Humans; Network Meta-Analysis; Opisthorchiasis; Opisthorchis; Praziquantel
PubMed: 35697047
DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00026-X -
Global distribution of genotypes in domestic and wild canids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Parasitology Aug 2022The current systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate the genotypic distribution of canine echinococcosis worldwide. Studies published from the inception until 21... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The current systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate the genotypic distribution of canine echinococcosis worldwide. Studies published from the inception until 21 May 2021 were screened, relevant articles were selected and the random-effect model was used to draw forest plots with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Totally, 44 articles were included, mostly examined dogs (37 records), followed by wolf (8 records), jackal (7 records), fox (3 records), pump fox (3 records) and coyote (1 record). sensu stricto (G1–G3) and G6/7 cluster of were the most common genotypes among canids. Most studies were conducted in Asia and Europe with 17 and 15 datasets, respectively. Exclusively, Iran possessed the highest number of studies (10 records). Meta-analysis showed that the pooled molecular prevalence of echinococcosis was 33.82% (95% CI 24.50–43.83%). Also, the highest and lowest prevalence of canine echinococcosis was calculated for South America (66.03%; 95% CI 25.67–95.85%) and Europe (19.01%; 95% CI 9.95–30.16%). Additionally, there were statistically significant differences between the global prevalence of echinococcosis in canines and publication year, continent, country, sample type, host and molecular test. These findings will elevate our knowledge on the poorly known canine echinococcosis worldwide.
Topics: Animals; Asia; Canidae; Dogs; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus; Echinococcus granulosus; Genotype
PubMed: 35591776
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182022000658 -
Diagnosis of Schistosoma infection in non-human animal hosts: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases May 2022Reliable and field-applicable diagnosis of schistosome infections in non-human animals is important for surveillance, control, and verification of interruption of human... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Reliable and field-applicable diagnosis of schistosome infections in non-human animals is important for surveillance, control, and verification of interruption of human schistosomiasis transmission. This study aimed to summarize uses of available diagnostic techniques through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
We systematically searched the literature and reports comparing two or more diagnostic tests in non-human animals for schistosome infection. Out of 4,909 articles and reports screened, 19 met our inclusion criteria, four of which were considered in the meta-analysis. A total of 14 techniques (parasitologic, immunologic, and molecular) and nine types of non-human animals were involved in the studies. Notably, four studies compared parasitologic tests (miracidium hatching test (MHT), Kato-Katz (KK), the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory technique (DBL), and formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation-digestion (FEA-SD)) with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and sensitivity estimates (using qPCR as the reference) were extracted and included in the meta-analyses, showing significant heterogeneity across studies and animal hosts. The pooled estimate of sensitivity was 0.21 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03-0.48) with FEA-SD showing highest sensitivity (0.89, 95% CI: 0.65-1.00).
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE
Our findings suggest that the parasitologic technique FEA-SD and the molecular technique qPCR are the most promising techniques for schistosome diagnosis in non-human animal hosts. Future studies are needed for validation and standardization of the techniques for real-world field applications.
Topics: Animals; Feces; Prevalence; Reference Standards; Schistosoma; Schistosomiasis; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 35522699
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010389 -
Parasites & Vectors Mar 2022This study aimed to fill a gap of knowledge by providing a quantitative measure of molecularly identified species and genotypes belonging to Echinococcus granulosus...
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to fill a gap of knowledge by providing a quantitative measure of molecularly identified species and genotypes belonging to Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) causing human cystic echinococcosis (CE) in Europe during the period 2000-2021. As these species and genotypes are characterized by genetic, animal host and geographical differences, studying the E. granulosus s.l. complex is epidemiologically relevant.
METHODS
A systematic review (SR) was conducted on the basis of both scientific and grey literature considering primary studies between 2000 and 2021 in four databases. From a total of 1643 scientific papers, 51 records were included in the SR. The main inclusion criterion for this study was the molecular confirmation of E. granulosus s.l. at the genotype/species level as a causative agent of human CE cases in selected European countries.
RESULTS
Relevant data were obtained from 29 out of 39 eligible European countries. This SR identified 599 human molecularly confirmed echinococcal cysts: 460 (76.8%) identified as E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.), 130 (21.7%) as E. canadensis cluster (G6/7 and G10), 7 (1.2%) as E. ortleppi (G5), and 2 as E. vogeli (0.3%). Three geographical hotspots of human CE caused by different species of the E. granulosus s.l. complex were identified: (1) E. granulosus s.s. in Southern and South-eastern Europe (European-Mediterranean and Balkan countries); (2) E. canadensis (G6/7) in Central and Eastern Europe; (3) E. ortleppi in Central and Western Europe. This SR also identified data gaps that prevented a better definition of the geographical distribution of the Echinococcus granulosus s.l. species complex in Europe: western Balkan countries, part of Central Europe, and Baltic countries.
CONCLUSIONS
These results mandate longitudinal, multi-centre, intersectoral and transdisciplinary studies which consider both molecular and clinical epidemiology in animals and humans. Such studies would be valuable for a better understanding of the transmission of the E. granulosus s.l. species complex and their potential clinical impact on humans.
Topics: Animals; Echinococcosis; Echinococcus; Echinococcus granulosus; Europe; Genotype; Humans
PubMed: 35346335
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05197-8 -
PloS One 2022Taenia solium is an important cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide and remains endemic in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Transmission of this parasite is still poorly...
Taenia solium is an important cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide and remains endemic in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Transmission of this parasite is still poorly understood despite the design of infection experiments to improve our knowledge of the disease, with estimates for critical epidemiological parameters, such as the probability of human-to-pig infection after exposure to eggs, still lacking. In this paper, a systematic review was carried out and eight pig infection experiments were analyzed to describe the probability of developing cysts. These experiments included different pathways of inoculation: with ingestion of proglottids, eggs, and beetles that ingested eggs, and direct injection of activated oncospheres into the carotid artery. In these experiments, different infective doses were used, and the numbers of viable and degenerated cysts in the body and brain of each pig were registered. Five alternative dose-response models (exponential, logistic, log-logistic, and exact and approximate beta-Poisson) were assessed for their accuracy in describing the observed probabilities of cyst development as a function of the inoculation dose. Dose-response models were developed separately for the presence of three types of cysts (any, viable only, and cysts in the brain) and considered for each of the four inoculation methods ("Proglottids", "Eggs", "Beetles" and "Carotid"). The exact beta-Poisson model best fit the data for the three types of cysts and all relevant exposure pathways. However, observations for some exposure pathways were too scarce to reliably define a dose-response curve with any model. A wide enough range of doses and sufficient sample sizes was only found for the "Eggs" pathway and a merged "Oral" pathway combining the "Proglottids", "Eggs" and "Beetles" pathways. Estimated parameter values from this model suggest that a low infective dose is sufficient to result in a 50% probability for the development of any cyst or for viable cyst infections. Although this is a preliminary model reliant on a limited dataset, the parameters described in this manuscript should contribute to the design of future experimental infections related to T. solium transmission, as well as the parameterization of simulation models of transmission aimed at informing control.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Cysticercosis; Cysts; Swine; Swine Diseases; Taenia solium
PubMed: 35286329
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264898 -
Pathogens and Global Health Jul 2022Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a leading cause of preventable epilepsy in lower- and upper- middle-income countries (LMICs/UMICs). NCC is a human-to-human transmitted...
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a leading cause of preventable epilepsy in lower- and upper- middle-income countries (LMICs/UMICs). NCC is a human-to-human transmitted disease caused by ingestion of eggs from a carrier. infection control is the key to reduce NCC incidence. This systematic review aims to identify control programs that can provide frameworks for endemic areas to prevent NCC-related epilepsy. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases in March 2021. After title and abstract review, full texts were screened for qualitative analysis. Additional articles were identified via citation search. Of 1322 total results, 34 unique studies were included. Six major intervention types were identified: national policy (8.8%), community sanitation improvement (8.8%), health education (8.8%), mass drug administration (29.4%), pig vaccination and treatment (32.4%), and combined human and pig treatment (11.8%). Overall, 28 (82.4%) studies reported decreased cysticercosis prevalence following the intervention. Only health education and combined human and pig treatment were effective in all selected studies. NCC causes preventable epilepsy in LMICs/UMICs and its incidence can be reduced through control. Most interventions that disrupt the transmission cycle are effective. Long-term sustained results require comprehensive programs, ongoing surveillance, and collaborative effort among multisectoral agencies.
Topics: Animals; Cysticercosis; Epilepsy; Incidence; Neurocysticercosis; Prevalence; Swine; Taenia solium
PubMed: 34928183
DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2021.2015869 -
PloS One 2021Fascioliasis is a globally distributed, parasitic zoonosis, caused by Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. A comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of human...
Fascioliasis is a globally distributed, parasitic zoonosis, caused by Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. A comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of human fascioliasis in Africa is missing up to now. Therefore, our objective was to conduct a systematic review aiming to summarize recent knowledge on the distribution, prevalence, and risk factors of human fascioliasis in Africa. A key word search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and Africa Wide, to gather relevant literature, published between the 1st of January 2000 and 31st of December 2020. A total of 472 records were initially retrieved, with 40 full text articles retained for the qualitative synthesis. Human fascioliasis was reported in 12 African countries, namely Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South-Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia. The majority of the studies was conducted in Egypt. A total of 28 records were population surveys. Coproscopy was the most commonly used tool for fascioliasis diagnosis in these surveys. Gender (being female), consumption of raw vegetables/seeds, age, owning livestock, and use of unsafe drinking water sources, were identified as risk factors in 7 studies. Furthermore, 43 case reports were retrieved, described in 12 studies. Eosinophilia was present in 39 of these cases, while 11 had positive coproscopy results. Eight cases described having eaten raw wild vegetables. Overall, the low number and quality of records retrieved indicates that human fascioliasis remains a truly neglected disease in Africa, and more epidemiological studies are urgently needed to both establish the actual distribution as well as risk factors on the continent.
Topics: Africa; Animals; Fasciola; Fascioliasis; Humans
PubMed: 34882738
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261166 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Nov 2021Schistosomiasis remains a global-health problem with over 90% of its burden concentrated in Africa. Field studies reflect the complex ways in which socio-cultural and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Schistosomiasis remains a global-health problem with over 90% of its burden concentrated in Africa. Field studies reflect the complex ways in which socio-cultural and socio-economic variables, affect the distribution of Schistosoma infections across different populations. This review set out to systematically investigate and quantify the differences in Schistosoma infection burdens between males and females in Africa for two of the most prevalent Schistosoma species-Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium.
METHODOLOGY
We searched (from inception to 11th March 2020) Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science for relevant studies on schistosomiasis. We included studies that report S. mansoni and/or S. haematobium prevalence and/or intensity data distributed between males and females. We conducted meta-analyses on the male to female (M:F) prevalence of infection ratios. Subgroup analyses were performed according to study baseline prevalence, sample size and the lower and upper age limit of study participants. We also present a descriptive analysis of differential risk and intensity of infection across males and females. Evidence for differences in the prevalence of schistosomiasis infection between males and females is presented, stratified by Schistosoma species.
RESULT
We identified 128 relevant studies, with over 200,000 participants across 23 countries. Of all the reported differences in the prevalence of infection between males and females, only 41% and 34% were statistically significant for S. mansoni and S. haematobium, respectively. Similar proportions of studies (27% and 34% for for S. haematobium and S. mansoni, respectively) of the reported differences in intensity of infection between males and females were statistically significant. The meta-analyses summarized a higher prevalence of infection in males; pooled random-effects weighted M:F prevalence of infection ratios were 1.20 (95% CI 1.11-1.29) for S. haematobium and 1.15 (95% CI 1.08-1.22) for S. mansoni. However, females are underrespresented in some of the studies. Additionally, there was significant heterogeneity across studies (Higgins I2 statistic (p-values < 0.001, I2values>95%)). Results of the subgroup analysis showed that the baseline prevalence influenced the M:F prevalence ratios for S. haematobium and S. mansoni, with higher M:F prevalence of infection ratios in settings with a lower baseline prevalence of infection. Across the studies, we identified four major risk factors associated with infection rates: occupational and recreational water contact, knowledge, socio-economic factors and demographic factors. The effect of these risk factors on the burden of infection in males and females varied across studies.
CONCLUSIONS
We find evidence of differences in prevalence of infection between males and females which may reflect differences in gender norms and water contact activities, suggesting that policy changes at the regional level may help ameliorate gender-related disparities in schistosomiasis infection burden. Collecting, robustly analysing, and reporting, sex-disaggregated epidemiological data, is currently lacking, but would be highly informative for planning effective treatment programmes and establishing those most at risk of schistosomiasis infections.
Topics: Africa; Animals; Female; Humans; Male; Risk Factors; Schistosoma haematobium; Schistosoma mansoni; Schistosomiasis haematobia; Schistosomiasis mansoni; Sex Factors
PubMed: 34788280
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009083 -
Parasites & Vectors Sep 2021Tapeworm infections are among the tropical neglected parasitic diseases endemically occurring in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims at estimating... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Tapeworm infections are among the tropical neglected parasitic diseases endemically occurring in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims at estimating the pooled prevalence and distribution of Taenia and Echinococcus infections in humans and animals from reports from Ethiopia.
METHODS
The systematic search was conducted in four bibliographic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Africa Journal Online and Science Direct). Additional data were retrieved from grey literature. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were considered for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted using MetaXL add-in for Microsoft Excel. Heterogeneity and inconsistency were evaluated using Cochran's Q and I statistics, respectively.
RESULTS
The study provides a country-based database of Taenia and Echinococcus infections consisting of 311 datasets from 201 publications which were mostly abattoir surveys; of these, 251 datasets were subjected to meta-analysis. Most of the studies were from Oromia (32.8%) followed by Amhara (22.9%) regional states. The pooled prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in intermediate and accidental hosts was calculated as 22% (95% CI 18-26%) and high study variability (Q = 24,420.65, I = 100%, P = 0.000). Moreover, a pooled prevalence of Echinococcus infections in final hosts was calculated as 33% (95% CI 20-48%) and low study variability (Q = 17.24, I = 65%, P = 0.001). Similarly, study subjects (human, cattle, sheep, goat and wolf) were infected by Taenia spp. with pooled prevalence of 3% (95% CI 2-4%) and moderate study variability (Q = 279.07, I = 89, P = 0.000). Meanwhile, the pooled prevalence of Taenia hydatigena, T. ovis and T. multiceps infections in intermediate hosts were calculated as 38%, 14% and 5%, respectively. The random effect meta-analysis of bovine cysticercosis showed a pooled prevalence of 7% (95% CI 5-9%) and high study variability was of (Q = 4458.76; I = 99%, P = 0.000). Significant differences in prevalence of Taenia and Echinococcus infections between study sites or different livestock origins have been reported.
CONCLUSION
The study evidenced a comprehensive dataset on the prevalence and distribution of Taenia and Echinococcus infections at different interfaces by regions and hosts and hence can aid in the design of more effective control strategies.
Topics: Abattoirs; Animals; Cattle; Echinococcosis; Ethiopia; Goats; Humans; Livestock; Prevalence; Taenia; Taeniasis
PubMed: 34488862
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04925-w