The Influence of Socio-economic, Behavioural and Environmental Factors on Taenia spp. Transmission in Western Kenya: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Humans and Pigs

Wardrop, Nicola A.; Thomas, Lian F.; Atkinson, Peter M.; Glanville, William A. de; Cook, Elizabeth A. J.; Wamae, C. N.; Gabriël, Sarah; Dorny, Pierre; Harrison, Leslie J.; Fèvre, Eric M.

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004223

Cited by 42 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Serological samples and demographic data were collected by weighted and stratified random sampling of 416 homesteads between August 2010 and July 2012 as part of a cross-sectional study of zoonotic infections in western Kenya[ 26 , 28 – 30 ]. Sera were analyzed to determine alpha- and flavivirus seroprevalence among children and adults.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serological and spatial analysis of alphavirus and flavivirus prevalence and risk factors in a rural community in western Kenya

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alphaviruses, such as chikungunya virus, and flaviviruses, such as dengue virus, are (re)-emerging arboviruses that are endemic in tropical environments. In Africa, arbovirus infections are often undiagnosed and unreported, with febrile illnesses often assumed to be malaria. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the seroprevalence of alphaviruses and flaviviruses among children (ages 5–14, n = 250) and adults (ages 15 ≥ 75, n = 250) in western Kenya. Risk factors for seropositivity were explored using Lasso regression. Overall, 67% of participants showed alphavirus seropositivity (CI95 63%–70%), and 1.6% of participants showed flavivirus seropositivity (CI95 0.7%–3%). Children aged 10–14 were more likely to be seropositive to an alphavirus than adults (p < 0.001), suggesting a recent transmission period. Alphavirus and flavivirus seropositivity was detected in the youngest participants (age 5–9), providing evidence of inter-epidemic transmission. Demographic variables that were significantly different amongst those with previous infection versus those without infection included age, education level, and occupation. Behavioral and environmental variables significantly different amongst those in with previous infection to those without infection included taking animals for grazing, fishing, and recent village flooding. Experience of recent fever was also found to be a significant indicator of infection (p = 0.027). These results confirm alphavirus and flavivirus exposure in western Kenya, while illustrating significantly higher alphavirus transmission compared to previous studies.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serological and spatial analysis of alphavirus and flavivirus prevalence and risk factors in a rural community in western Kenya

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Land cover data [ 26 ] were created by classification of remotely sensed imagery, as described in Wardrop et al [ 29 ]. Spatial buffers of 1 km were created around each study homestead and the percentage of each land cover type (agricultural and grassland; flooding; flooding agricultural and grassland; swamp; woodland and shrubs; water bodies; vegetated) within each buffer was calculated using ArcMap 10 (ESRI, Redlands), to represent the landscape surrounding each homestead [ 29 ]. In addition, the Euclidean distances from each homestead to the closest water body and the closest area of flooding land were calculated.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sero-epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii in Humans and Cattle, Western Kenya: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evidence suggests that the intracellular bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii (which causes Q fever) is widespread, with a near global distribution. While there has been increasing attention to Q fever epidemiology in high-income settings, a recent systematic review highlighted significant gaps in our understanding of the prevalence, spatial distribution and risk factors for Q fever infection across Africa. This research aimed to provide a One Health assessment of Q fever epidemiology in parts of Western and Nyanza Provinces, Western Kenya, in cattle and humans. A cross-sectional survey was conducted: serum samples from 2049 humans and 955 cattle in 416 homesteads were analysed for C. burnetii antibodies. Questionnaires covering demographic, socio-economic and husbandry information were also administered. These data were linked to environmental datasets based on geographical locations (e.g., land cover). Correlation and spatial-cross correlation analyses were applied to assess the potential link between cattle and human seroprevalence. Multilevel regression analysis was used to assess the relationships between a range of socio-economic, demographic and environmental factors and sero-positivity in both humans and animals. The overall sero-prevalence of C. burnetii was 2.5% in humans and 10.5% in cattle, but we found no evidence of correlation between cattle and human seroprevalence either within households, or when incorporating spatial proximity to other households in the survey. Multilevel modelling indicated the importance of several factors for exposure to the organism. Cattle obtained from market (as opposed to those bred in their homestead) and those residing in areas with lower precipitation levels had the highest sero-prevalence. For humans, the youngest age group had the highest odds of seropositivity, variations were observed between ethnic groups, and frequent livestock contact (specifically grazing and dealing with abortion material) was also a risk factor. These results illustrate endemicity of C. burnetii in western Kenya, although prevalence is relatively low. The analysis indicates that while environmental factors may play a role in cattle exposure patterns, human exposure patterns are likely to be driven more strongly by livestock contacts. The implication of livestock markets in cattle exposure risks suggests these may be a suitable target for interventions.

show abstract

“…The first study was a community based cross-sectional study of humans and their livestock from 416 randomly selected homesteads between July 2010 and July 2012, during which questionnaire data were collected on a wide range of homestead and individual level risk factors for zoonotic disease, including meat preparation [29]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling the risk of Taenia solium exposure from pork produced in western Kenya

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The tapeworm Taenia solium is the parasite responsible for neurocysticercosis, a neglected tropical disease of public health importance, thought to cause approximately 1/3 of epilepsy cases across endemic regions. The consumption of undercooked infected pork perpetuates the parasite’s life-cycle through the establishment of adult tapeworm infections in the community. Reducing the risk associated with pork consumption in the developing world is therefore a public health priority. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of any one pork meal in western Kenya containing a potentially infective T. solium cysticercus at the point of consumption, an aspect of the parasite transmission that has not been estimated before. To estimate this, we used a quantitative food chain risk assessment model built in the @RISK add-on to Microsoft Excel. This model indicates that any one pork meal consumed in western Kenya has a 0.006 (99% Uncertainty Interval (U.I). 0.0002–0.0164) probability of containing at least one viable T. solium cysticercus at the point of consumption and therefore being potentially infectious to humans. This equates to 22,282 (99% U.I. 622–64,134) potentially infective pork meals consumed in the course of one year within Busia District alone. This model indicates a high risk of T. solium infection associated with pork consumption in western Kenya and the work presented here can be built upon to investigate the efficacy of various mitigation strategies for this locality.

show abstract

The Influence of Socio-economic, Behavioural and Environmental Factors on Taenia spp. Transmission in Western Kenya: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Humans and Pigs

Cited by 42 publications

References 36 publications

Serological and spatial analysis of alphavirus and flavivirus prevalence and risk factors in a rural community in western Kenya

Serological and spatial analysis of alphavirus and flavivirus prevalence and risk factors in a rural community in western Kenya

The Sero-epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii in Humans and Cattle, Western Kenya: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

Modelling the risk of Taenia solium exposure from pork produced in western Kenya

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About