Taenia solium Infections in a Rural Area of Eastern Zambia-A Community Based Study

Abstract

Background Taenia solium taeniosis/cysticercosis is a parasitic infection occurring in many developing countries. Data on the status of human infections in Zambia is largely lacking. We conducted a community-based study in Eastern Zambia to determine the prevalence of human taeniosis and cysticercosis in a rural community.Methods and FindingsStool and serum samples were collected from willing participants. Geographical references of the participants' households were determined and household questionnaires administered. Taeniosis was diagnosed in stool samples by coprology and by the polyclonal antibody-based copro-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (copro-Ag ELISA), while cysticercosis was diagnosed in serum by the B158/B60 monoclonal antibody-based antigen ELISA (sero-Ag ELISA). Identification of the collected tapeworm after niclosamide treatment and purgation was done using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A total of 255 households from 20 villages participated in the study, 718 stool and 708 serum samples were collected and examined. Forty-five faecal samples (6.3%) were found positive for taeniosis on copro-Ag ELISA while circulating cysticercus antigen was detected in 5.8% (41/708) individuals. The tapeworm recovered from one of the cases was confirmed to be T. solium on PCR-RFLP. Seropositivity (cysticercosis) was significantly positively related to age (p = 0.00) and to copro-Ag positivity (taeniosis) (p = 0.03) but not to gender. Change point analysis revealed that the frequency of cysticercus antigens increased significantly in individuals above the age of 30. Copro-Ag positivity was not related to age or gender. The following risk factors were noted to be present in the study community: free-range pig husbandry system and poor sanitation with 47.8% of the households visited lacking latrines.ConclusionsThis study has recorded high taeniosis and cysticercosis prevalences and identified the need for further studies on transmission dynamics and impact of the disease on the local people.

Seroprevalence of human cysticercosis and its associated risk factors among humans in areas of Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria

“…Other studies using similar antibody detecting techniques have reported prevalence of 7.4% in South Africa and 20.5% in Mozambique [6]. The prevalence in this study, however, is far lower than the 45.3% (n = 830) reported in Mbozi district of Tanzania [7] and the 40.8% reported in Burundi [17], both of which studies also used the antibody ELISA technique.…”

“…Prevalence of human cysticercosis has been reported in South Africa (7.4%), Mozambique (20.5%), Democratic Republic of Congo (21.6%), Eastern Zambia (5.8%) [6], and Mbozi district of Tanzania (45.3%) [7] by researchers using different diagnostic methods. Though efforts in recent times have been made to document porcine cysticercosis in Nigeria [8][9][10], reliable epidemiological information on human cysticercosis is still limited, even among atrisk groups.…”

Niclosamide suppresses migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and downregulates matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression

“…Niclosamide is currently used to treat tapeworm infection (15). Application of niclosamide in the treatment of cancer was first reported for colorectal cancer (16).…”

“…Niclosamide was originally developed for the treatment of tapeworm infection and is clinically used worldwide (14,15 (18) and inhibition of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway (19). Niclosamide also downregulates the expression of cyclin D1, one of the target molecules of the Wnt pathway, via glycogen synthase kinase-3β (17,20).…”

Epilepsy and Neurocysticercosis in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…In contrast, the prevalence of human Taenia solium cysticercosis in communities has been assessed as this requires blood analysis only. In cysticercosis endemic areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Zambia the prevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis as measured with an antigen-ELISA was 22%, 10% and 5.8%, respectively [52][53][54]. Indirect approaches are used to get an impression about the prevalence of people with NCC in a certain population and often people suffering from epileptic seizures or epilepsy are included into these studies.…”