Background
Schistosomiasis remains a public health concern worldwide. It is responsible for more than 240 million cases in 78 countries, 40 million of whom are women of childbearing age. In the Senegal River basin, both Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni are very prevalent in school-age children. However, there is a lack of information on burden of schistosomiasis in pregnant women, which can cause complications for the pregnancy outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with infection in pregnant women.
Methods
We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at the health center of the Senegalese sugar company and at the hospital of Richard Toll between August and December 2021. The urine and stool samples collected were examined using microscopy techniques and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to detect the presence of S. haematobium and S. mansoni. Urine were previously tested using urine reagent strips to detect hematuria and proteinuria. Sociodemographic, clinical and biological data were collected from each participant. The data were analyzed using logistic regression model.
Results
Among the 298 women examined for the infection by microscopic, 65 (21.81%) were infected with urogenital schistosomiasis, 10 (3.36%) with intestinal schistosomiasis and 4 (1.34%) were co-infected with both types of schistosomiasis. Out of the 288 samples tested by qPCR, 146 (48.99%) were positive for S. haematobium, 49 (35.51%) for S. mansoni and 22 (15.94%) for both species (co-infection). Schistosomiasis was significantly associated with the presence of blood and the protein on strips (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
This study has revealed a high prevalence of schistosomiasis in pregnant women in Senegal. The qPCR allowed us to detect more cases compared to the microscopy. There is a need to conduct more studies to understand the real burden of the disease and to set up a surveillance system to prevent pregnancy-related complications.