An Update on the Epidemiological Features of Imported Schistosomiasis and Cystic Echinococcosis in Kuwait, 2010–2018

Abstract

Objective: Kuwait is considered a non-endemic country for most parasitic infections. However, ~70% of 4.7 million residents in Kuwait are expatriates from Asian and African countries which are endemic for parasitic infections. Results of microbiological investigations for schistosomiasis and cystic echinococcosis performed in a reference national laboratory were retrospectively collected and analyzed to provide an insight on the epidemiology of these two neglected tropical diseases in Kuwait. Subjects and Methods: Schistosoma infection in fecal and urine specimens from suspected patients was detected by microscopy. Schistosoma and CE infections were also detected by indirect hemagglutination assays using blood specimens. Patients’ epidemiological data were extracted from the laboratory records. Results: The overall prevalence rates of schistosomiasis and CE were 19.0% and 5.8%, respectively. Almost all schistosomiasis cases were seen among Egyptians, especially among males, and a significantly higher prevalence (P <0.05) was seen for CE cases among the Syrian residents. A decreasing annual trend was observed for both the parasitic infections over time in Kuwait. Conclusion: Schistosomiasis is not autochthonous in Kuwait as all cases were detected among immigrants from Schistosoma-endemic countries. The decreasing trend is likely attributed to successful implementation of national and WHO strategies to control and prevent schistosomiasis in endemic countries. Our data showed that CE remains endemic among humans and livestock in Kuwait as is also seen in other Middle Eastern countries. Further investigations on the prevalence of CE in camels, livestock animals and dogs harboring the adult worm are needed to help estimate the true incidence of CE in humans in Kuwait.

Investigation on the Variability of Hydatid Cyst Fluid as an Antigen for the Immunodiagnosis of Cystic Hydatid Disease

“…Echinococcosis is a cestode tapeworm of genus Echinococcus of worldwide distributions, and more and more frequently in rural, grazing areas where dogs ingest hydatid cysts from infected herbivorous animals (CDC, 2019). Zoonotic larval echinoccocosis were reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Countries, such as Egypt (El Sayed et al, 2020), Gaza (Al-Hindi et al, 2023), Jordan (Himsawi et al, 2019), Kuwait (Al-Awadhi et al, 2021), Libya (Mohamed et al, 2014), Saudi Arabia (Al Malki and Ahmed, 2022), Sudan (Ahmed et al, 2021(Ahmed et al, ), et al, 2022, Yemen (Alghoury et al, 2010) and others.…”