GiardiaandCryptosporidiumantibody prevalence and correlates of exposure among Alaska residents, 2007–2008

Abstract

Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are common intestinal protozoa that can cause diarrhoeal disease. Although cases of infection with Giardia and Cryptosporidium have been reported in Alaska, the seroprevalence and correlates of exposure to these parasites have not been characterised. We conducted a seroprevalence survey among 887 residents of Alaska, including sport hunters, wildlife biologists, subsistence bird hunters and their families and non-exposed persons. We tested serum using a multiplex bead assay to evaluate antibodies to the Giardia duodenalis variant-specific surface protein conserved structural regions and to the Cryptosporidium parvum 17- and 27-kDa antigens. Approximately one third of participants in each group had evidence of exposure to Cryptosporidium. Prevalence of Giardia antibody was highest among subsistence hunters and their families (30%), among whom positivity was associated with lack of community access to in-home running water (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.28) or collecting rain, ice, or snow to use as drinking water (aPR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.18). Improving in-home water access for entire communities could decrease the risk of exposure to Giardia.

Enteropathogen antibody dynamics and force of infection among children in low-resource settings

“…At the same time, large-scale serological surveillance platforms create new opportunities for expanded enteropathogen surveillance alongside other infectious diseases (Metcalf et al, 2016; Arnold et al, 2018). These challenges and opportunities have generated interest in antibody-based measurement as a complement to PCR for population-based enteropathogen surveillance (Griffin et al, 2011; Exum et al, 2016; Moss et al, 2014; Arnold et al, 2017), and for endpoints in observational and randomized studies (Crump et al, 2007; Zambrano et al, 2017; Chard et al, 2018; Vargas et al, 2017; Mosites et al, 2018; Wade et al, 2018; Egorov et al, 2018).…”

Multiplex Serology for Measurement of IgG Antibodies Against Eleven Infectious Diseases in a National Serosurvey: Haiti 2014–2015

“…For responses to the C. parvum Cp23 antigen, the typical approach is to use a panel of Western blot positives and negatives to establish a cutoff by Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis ( 44 ). The beads used in this study were previously determined to have a cutoff of 1,870 MFI-bg by this method ( 45 ). However, since this study used only 50% of the serum concentration in each assay as the previous work, the cutoff was adjusted to 935 MFI-bg to account for the difference.…”

Giardia and Cryptosporidium in resident wildlife species in Arctic Alaska

“…Enteric disease is a major health concern in rural and remote communities in the Arctic ( Finlayson-Trick et al, 2021 ; Jenkins et al, 2013 ), where subsistence activities are prevalent, and a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention One Health zoonotic disease prioritization workshop for Alaska identified Giardia and Cryptosporidium as pathogens of high concern ( https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/pdfs/Alaska-508.pdf; accessed on 2023-01-05). Human residents of Alaska and northern Canada have high rates of giardiasis ( Jenkins et al, 2013 ; Mosites et al, 2018 ) and are also frequently exposed to Cryptosporidium ( Finlayson-Trick et al, 2021 ; Mosites et al, 2018 ).…”