A Serological Study on Hydatid Disease from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern India: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Introduction: Echinococcus species are zoonotic parasites that cause hydatid disease, affecting humans and animals. The seroprevalence of hydatid disease reflects the level of exposure to this parasite and can be used as an indicator of the burden of the disease in a population. Aim: To determine the seroprevalence of hydatid disease. Materials and Methods: The study was a retrospective observational study conducted at JIPMER hospital, a tertiary care centre located in Puducherry, Southern India. In this study, hydatid serological data from January 2019 to December 2022 were collected in March 2023 and retrospectively analysed in April 2023. All the serum samples that tested positive for Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) for echinococcosis during the period from January 2019 to December 2022 were included. The demographic details such as age, gender, place of residence, etc., of the patients whose samples were included were collected from their case records. These samples were then analysed using Microsoft Excel for proportions and percentages. Results: The study showed that the seroprevalence of hydatid disease was 70 (34%) out of 206 samples tested. The seroprevalence was higher in the older age group (>45 years), with 41 (58.6%) cases. It was observed that males and females were almost equally infected, with minor differences in the prevalence of 37 (52.9%) males and 33 (47.1%) females. Conclusion: As the prevalence of hydatid disease in Southern India was unknown, it was observed to be lower when compared to other states of India. This study has provided valuable information on the level of exposure of hydatid disease in the population and will help formulate disease control and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]