Back to Search
Start Over
Prevalence of human cystic echinococcosis in the towns of Ñorquinco and Ramos Mexia in Rio Negro Province, Argentina, and direct risk factors for infection
- Source :
- Parasites & Vectors, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021), Parasites & Vectors
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic zoonosis caused by infection with the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus (s.l.). This study investigated the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with human CE in the towns and rural areas of Ñorquinco and Ramos Mexia, Rio Negro province, Argentina. Methods To detect abdominal CE cysts, we screened 892 volunteers by ultrasound and investigated potential risk factors for CE using a standardized questionnaire. Prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used to measure the association between CE and the factors investigated, applying bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results Abdominal CE was detected in 42/892 screened volunteers (4.7%, 95% CI 3.2–6.1), only two of whom were under 15 years of age. Thirteen (30.9%) CE cases had 25 cysts in active stages (CE1, CE2, CE3a, according to the WHO Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis [WHO-IWGE] classification). The most relevant risk factors identified in the bivariate analysis included: living in rural areas (P = 0.003), age > 40 years (P = 0.000), always drinking water from natural sources (P = 0.007), residing in rural areas during the first 5 years of life (P = 0.000) and having lived more than 20 years at the current address (P = 0.013). In the multivariate final model, the statistically significant risk factors were: frequently touching dogs (P = 0.012), residing in rural areas during the first 5 years of life (P = 0.004), smoking (P = 0.000), age > 60 years (P = 0.002) and living in rural areas (P = 0.017). Conclusions Our results point toward infection with CE being acquired since childhood and with constant exposure throughout life, especially in rural areas with a general environmental contamination. Graphical Abstract
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Rural Population
0301 basic medicine
medicine.medical_specialty
Multivariate analysis
Adolescent
Epidemiology
030231 tropical medicine
Argentina
Echinococcus granulosus (s.l.)
Ultrasound screening
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Echinococcosis
Surveys and Questionnaires
Abdomen
Prevalence
medicine
Animals
Humans
Child
Echinococcus granulosus
Aged
Ultrasonography
Aged, 80 and over
biology
Research
Zoonosis
Middle Aged
030108 mycology & parasitology
medicine.disease
biology.organism_classification
Confidence interval
Cystic echinococcosis
Infectious Diseases
Risk factors
Tropical medicine
Female
Parasitology
Rural area
Demography
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17563305
- Volume :
- 14
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Parasites & Vectors
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....370b6dea1a166745c003bc4dcd3acfa3