Journal Article

Prevalence and risk factors of Strongyloides stercoralis in Takeo Province, Cambodia

Marti, Hanspeter, Schär, Fabian, Char, Meng Chuor, Odermatt, Peter, Bless, Philipp J, Muth, Sinuon, Khieu, Virak

2014

Overview

BACKGROUND: The threadworm Strongyloides stercoralis, the most neglected helminth, affects an estimated 30-100 million people worldwide. Information on S. stercoralis infection is scarce in tropical and sub-tropical resource poor countries, including Cambodia. We determined S. stercoralis infection prevalence and risk factors for infection in the general population in Southern Cambodia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and April 2011 among 2,861 participants living in 60 villages of Takeo province, using Koga-agar plate culture, the Baermann technique and the Kato-Katz technique on a single stool sample. RESULTS: Eight intestinal helminth species were diagnosed. Hookworm (31.4%) and S. stercoralis (21.0%) occurred most frequently. Prevalence of S. stercoralis infection increased with age. In all age groups a higher prevalence was found among males than among females (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.4 – 2.0; P < 0.001). Participants who had a latrine at home were significantly less frequently infected with S. stercoralis than those who did not (OR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.4 – 0.8; P = 0.003). Muscle pain (OR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.0 – 1.6; P = 0.028) and urticaria (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1 – 1.8; P = 0.001) were significantly associated with S. stercoralis infection. CONCLUSIONS: S. stercoralis is highly prevalent among the general Cambodian population and should no longer be neglected. Access to adequate diagnosis and treatment is urgently needed.

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag,BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Aged, 80 and over / Animals / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Cambodia / Cambodia - epidemiology / Child / Child, Preschool / Clinical manifestation / cross-sectional studies / Entomology / Epidemiology / feces / Feces - parasitology / Female / females / hookworms / Households / Humans / Infant / Infections / Infectious Diseases / isolation & purification / Male / males / Medical research / Methods / Middle Aged / Mortality / muscles / Odds Ratio / pain / Parasitology / people / Population / Prevalence / Public health / Risk Factors / Strongyloides stercoralis / Strongyloides stercoralis - isolation & purification / Strongyloidiasis / Strongyloidiasis - epidemiology / Strongyloidiasis - parasitology / Studies / Tropical diseases / Tropical Medicine / urticaria / Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science / villages / Virology / Young Adult