Epidemiology of echinococcosis/hydatidosis in Anambra State, Nigeria

Prevalence of helminth parasites found on vegetables sold in Maiduguri, Northeastern Nigeria

“…Cysticercosis and hydatidosis caused by Taenia/Echinococcus spp. are common in Nigeria, affecting both animals and humans (Abdullahi et al, 2011;Onah, Chiejina, & Emehelu, 1989;Tijjani, Musa, Atsanda, & Mamman, 2010).…”

Review of Cystic Echinococcosis in Nigeria: A Story of Neglect

“…To date, this variation in infection rates among livestock across the country specifically in states where surveys have been conducted (Fig. 1, Table 1) has been reported to be largely influenced by different animal husbandry practices, conditions of slaughter slabs, and distribution or abundance of free range hosts among other factors [5,10,61]. Another uninvestigated factor in Nigeria probably accounting for the observed prevalence variation could be host susceptibility and/or specificity to species within E. granulosus sensu lato complex.…”

“…Although where available, low prevalence is commonly reported and has been attributed to the use of less sensitive diagnostic tools [28] or the fact that CE is not considered during routine medical examination. Till now, human CE has been investigated in few states and are mostly retrospective studies involving assessment of hospital records [28,61] (Table 2). One of such earliest surveys conducted in three northern states (Plateau, Kano, and Kaduna) identified only one case out of 620,695 examined records [28].…”

“…This report prompted subsequent examination of hospital records of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, in Enugu State (which also served Anambra State at the time) with preference to surgery cases from January 1977 to December 1986; however, findings from this investigation revealed no documented case. On further examination of rural health centers and some rural-and urban-located hospitals, it was observed that medical personnel in these institutions lacked requisite knowledge of the disease which might have resulted in misdiagnoses [61]. However, in recent times, two cases have been reported and include a musculoskeletal involvement with HIV coinfection in a patient admitted to The University of Jos Teaching Hospital [63], and an orbital echinococcosis manifested in protrusion of the eye and poor vision in The University College Hospital, Ibadan [35].…”

Detection of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato in Environmental Samples from Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria

“…CE is highly endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, but its true burden is still unknown. In Nigeria, most studies have focused on establishing the prevalence of Echinococcus infection in the definitive host [8][9][10][11][12] and CE among the intermediate hosts [13][14][15], including humans [12,16]. Although the human health challenge represented by CE is widely recognised, to our knowledge, the E. granulosus infection risk associated with environmental contamination in Nigeria has never been investigated.…”