Prevalence and risk factors of geohelminthiasis among the rural village children in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

Geohelminthiasis is a worldwide problem, especially in low-income countries. Children from rural areas and those living in poverty, lacking basic health amenities and having poor environmental sanitation are likely to be affected. Adverse effects such as anemia, protein malnutrition, colitis are common which can affect both the children's physical and mental growing development. A cross-sectional study on geohelminthiasis was conducted among children from 238 households in 13 villages in Kota Marudu of northern Sabah, East Malaysia. The study involved interviewing villagers using questionnaires to collect demographic and socioeconomic data, getting faecal samples from the children, collecting soil samples and identifying parasite eggs with microscopy and molecular methods. A total of 407 children (6 months-17 years old) enrolled in the study. Geohelminthiasis was detected in the faecal samples of children from 54% (7/13) of the villages with mean prevalence of infection per village of 9.0% (0%-34.9%). On a household basis, 18% (43/238) of the households sampled had infected children, with mean prevalence rate per household of 11% (0%-43%). The prevalence was for Ascaris lumbricoides: 9.6% (39/407), Trichuris trichiura: 2.7% (11/ 407) and hookworms (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma sp.): 2.7% (11/407). The overall mean infection rate of the children examined was 14.3%. Significantly higher prevalence was recorded for the children of mothers who did not have any formal education (p = 0.003); household income of less than USD119 (RM500) (p<0.001); children from homes without proper sanitation facilities (p<0.001); children who usually go about barefoot (p<0.001) and not washing feet before entering the house (p = 0.017). Soil samples were found to have geohelminth eggs or larvae which could be due to unhygienic sanitation practices. This study shows the geohelminthiasis is prevalent in the villages, and the risk factors are lack of maternal education, low income, poor sanitation facilities and irregular deworming practice. Expanding deworming coverage in the study region may help reduce the worm infections in these communities, so that the mental and physical development of the children would not be affected by geohelminthiasis. The data on the prevalence of geohelminthiasis in this study would contribute to better public health monitoring and operation to reduce the infection in rural areas.

Recent Advances in the Control of Helminths of Domestic Animals by Helminthophagous Fungi

“…The nematodes A. caninum, T. Canis, and T. cati are potentially zoonotic parasites of dogs and cats in various parts of the world [73][74][75]. As part of the environmental cycle, these parasites manage to cause infections via soil/environment, giving them the name of geohelminths [76].…”

Impact of helminth–microbiome interactions on childhood health and development—A clinical perspective

“…In children, heavy Ascaris burden peaks at 24–30 months of life, correlating with the time that children gain more mobility, independence, and thus come into greater contact with their environment 4 . During pregnancy, the hormonal and immunological changes that women's bodies undergo to protect their developing fetus also results in a permissive environment for parasitic infection, translating into an increased risk of malnutrition, reduced birth weight, infant mortality, impaired development and the prevalence of various chronic diseases later in life 2,5–9 . Despite the recognized global burden of parasitic worm infection, millennia of co‐evolution between helminths and their human hosts have led to the emergence of the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, postulating the existence of other, protective effects that can be exerted on humans by helminths, which have been lost in Westernized countries and urban communities along with the eradication of these parasites 10 .…”

Ovicidal Activity of Chemical Disinfectants and the Nematophagous Fungus Duddingtonia flagrans and Toxocara canis

“…T. canis larvae can cause a severe disease in humans: the visceral larva migrans (VLM) syndrome OJHA et al [1,2]. T. canis life cycle occurs also in the environment (soil) and consequently has been considered as a "geohelminth" [3]. Generally, helminth infections in domestic animals are controlled through administration of anthelmintic drugs.…”