Prevalence of porcine cysticercosis and associated risk factors in Homa Bay District, Kenya

Abstract

BackgroundTaenia solium is an important zoonosis in many developing countries. Cysticercosis poses a serious public health risk and leads to economic losses to the pig production industry. Due to scarcity of data on the epidemiology of porcine cysticercosis in Kenya, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors for porcine cysticercosis within Homa Bay district. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2010, and a total of 392 pigs were recruited in a household survey, with all being tested by ante-mortem lingual palpation (together with questionnaire data on pig production, occurrence and transmission of porcine cysticercosis, risk factors and awareness of porcine cysticercosis collected from the households from which pigs were sampled). Sufficient serum was collected from 232 of the pigs to be tested for the presence of circulating parasite antigen using a monoclonal antibody-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA).ResultsSeventy six pigs were found positive by the Ag-ELISA (32.8%, 95% C.I. 26.8-39.2%), while by tongue inspection cysticerci were detected in 22/ 392 pigs (5.6% 95% C.I. 3.6-8.4%).The most important risk factor for porcine cysticercosis in the Homa Bay area was for pigs to belong to a farm where latrine use by members of the household was not evident (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.13–2.37).ConclusionThe present findings indicate that porcine cysticercosis is endemic in Homa Bay District, and that latrine provision, in conjunction with free-range pig keeping contributes significantly to porcine cysticercosis transmission.

Lingual palpation for porcine cysticercosis: a rapid epidemiological tool for estimating prevalence and community risk in Africa

“…In total, we identified 26 study sites across 10 countries in Africa (Cameroon , Chad , DRC , Kenya , Mozambique , Senegal , South Africa , Tanzania , The Gambia and Zambia ) conducted between 1999 and 2010 (see Table ). Apart from the two studies in Kenya, which used the HP10 antigen test as described by Harrison et al .…”

“…The sampling framework, if given, varied markedly across studies at each level (village, household and pigs within households). For instance, in some studies villages were purposively selected based on certain risk factors such as large numbers of pigs, accessibility and/or willingness to participate , whereas others were selected at random , or at random within defined strata such as levels of pig management . Pig‐keeping households within these villages were sampled collectively , at random , or using snowballing techniques .…”

“…For instance, in some studies villages were purposively selected based on certain risk factors such as large numbers of pigs, accessibility and/or willingness to participate , whereas others were selected at random , or at random within defined strata such as levels of pig management . Pig‐keeping households within these villages were sampled collectively , at random , or using snowballing techniques . In most cases, all eligible pigs in a selected household were examined, although some studies reported random sampling of subgroups of pigs if numbers in a household exceeded two or four .…”

Re-evaluation of porcine cysticercosis in Nsukka area of Enugu State, Nigeria

“…It is, however, lower than the findings of other researchers in different parts of Nigeria and beyond. In Northern Nigeria, prevalence rates of 6.3% [3] and 14.4% [7] were reported for Kebbi and Taraba States, respectively, while 32.8% prevalence was recorded in Kenya [9]. The disparity in the prevalence rates recorded in this study and those from the northern part of Nigeria is also attributed to the management system of pig production in the area which increases the odds of acquiring the infection by the pigs.…”

Taenia solium porcine cysticercosis in Madagascar: Comparison of immuno-diagnostic techniques and estimation of the prevalence in pork carcasses traded in Antananarivo city

“…Recent village-based surveys in other African countries revealed porcine cysticercosis prevalence as high as 41% (Assana et al, 2010;Eshitera et al, 2012;Ganaba et al, 2011;Komba et al, 2013;Ngowi et al, 2010;Pondja et al, 2010;Praet et al, 2010). Thus, villagebased studies may be necessary to gain a better understanding of the overall burden of porcine cysticercosis in Madagascar.…”