Identification of risk areas and practices for Taenia saginata taeniosis/cysticercosis in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Bovine cysticercosis (BCC) is an infection of cattle with the metacestode stage of Taenia saginata, the beef tapeworm, which causes taeniosis in humans. BCC is responsible for considerable economic losses in the meat sector worldwide. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes the prevalence, risk factors and treatment efforts made so far on T. saginata infections in Ethiopia, providing a detailed analysis of different factors influencing the varying prevalence estimates in Ethiopia to gain more insight into the occurrence and risk factors of T. saginata taeniosis and cysticercosis to date. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on data collected from published and grey literature accessed through an electronic database and manual search. Results: The literature search resulted in 776 outputs of which 132 conformed to the predefined criteria. The average zonal prevalence of meat inspection-based BCC ranged from 2% in Buno-Bedele to 24.6% in Sidama zone. The pooled prevalence of BCC was influenced by the number of muscle/organs inspected, ranging from 3.4% (95% CI: 1.7-5.1%) using fewer predilection sites to 19.4% (95% CI: 13.3-25.4%) using inspection of a maximum number of predilection sites. None of the tested variables were significantly associated with BCC. Questionnaire-based taeniosis ranged between 19.0% in Halaba special woreda to 70.0% in Gedeo zone and stool test-based taeniosis varied from 0.6% in central Tigray to 10.7% in Gurage zone. Questionnaire-based prevalence of taeniosis was higher in people with a frequent raw beef consumption habit (pooled OR, pOR: 10.5, 95% CI: 6.0-17.9), adults (pOR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.7-3.6), men (pOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 2.1-3.6), and Christians (pOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.4-2.8) compared to less frequent raw beef consumers, younger people, women and Muslims, respectively. Conclusions: This review revealed a widespread but variable occurrence of BCC and taeniosis in Ethiopian regions and zones, urging for harmonized and enhanced detection for improved control of the parasite. Accurate prevalence estimates using more sensitive tests, detailed risk factor analysis, as well as data on financial losses are needed to develop effective control strategies for the Ethiopian epidemiologic condition.

A 27-Year-Old Lebanese Man with Stomach Perforation and Regurgitation of a Beef Tapeworm (Taenia saginata): A Case Report and Review of the Literature

“…In the literature, 2 articles reported nasal expulsion of T. saginata , which can be due to reverse peristalsis [ 20 , 21 ]. Praziquantel with a single oral dose (10 mg/kg body weight) and niclosamide (2 grams given on 3 consecutive days) are widely used in the management of human taeniasis [ 5 , 22 , 23 ]. However, this protocol has failed in many cases, and the alternative treatment is nitazoxanide [ 23 ].…”

“…However, this protocol has failed in many cases, and the alternative treatment is nitazoxanide [ 23 ]. In Ethiopia, treatment is mainly herbal and the most common herbs used are Hagenia abyssinica , Cucurbita pepo , Embelia schimperi , Glinus lotoides, and Myrsine Africana [ 5 ].…”

“…The parasite matures in the human intestine and becomes an adult worm that lives many years in the host’s body [ 3 ]. Taeniasis is usually asymptomatic, but mild constitutional symptoms, including nausea, weight loss, abdominal pain, and altered bowel movements, are reported [ 3 , 5 ]. Rarely, the tapeworm can lead to serious medical conditions such as jejunal perforation and peritonitis [ 6 ].…”

Coping with catastrophe: contributing to food security through crop diversity and crop production in Tigray National Regional State in northern Ethiopia

“…Many plants are believed to be curative for this problem. The dried owers of Hagenia abyssinica are, however, the most widely used of all tapeworm expellents (Edilu Jorga et al 2020). The monthly cure is a strong purgative and often cause a strong debilitating reaction.…”

Prevalence of Taenia saginata cysticerci in Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise, Ethiopia

“…In Africa, poor sanitation, ingestion of undercooked infected meat, inadequate/lack of health education and low availability of taenicides are the major obstacles in the control of the disease ( Tembo, 2001 ). A high prevalence of human infection in different agro-climatic zones has been reported in Ethiopia ( Jorga et al, 2020a ). Estimates made by investigators on the prevalence of taeniasis in Ethiopia vary widely from 2 to 16% based on routine meat inspection ( Tegegne et al, 2018 ).…”