Ultrasound and Risk Survey Evidence for Cystic Echinococcosis in La Rioja Province, Argentina

Abstract

Hydatidosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution with endemic areas in Argentina. The present epidemiological study was conducted to explore the presence of cystic echinococcosis in the rural community of Los Bordos (population 99), in the northern province of La Rioja, Argentina, during March 2018. The study included the search for cysts by abdominal ultrasound and a survey on family risk. Sixty-seven people agreed to undergo ultrasound examination, and five adults showed images compatible with hydatic cysts (7.5% prevalence). A family survey was applied to 29 households (78%), stratifying 24 families (83%) as high risk (95% confidence interval = 64.2–94.1) and 5 (17%) as low risk (95% confidence interval = 5.8–55.7) of transmission of the disease, respectively. The values were statistically different by the McNemar test. The goal of the present study, the first study of its kind in La Rioja, was to assess the family risk of echinococcosis among subjects with ultrasound images compatible with cystic echinococcosis.

Cystic Echinococcosis in the Early 2020s: A Review

“…Following Table 1 , where the pooled prevalence across Asia was 0.0177, numerous studies found substantially higher rates of CE in certain regions, such as rural Mongolia (2.0% to 13.1%) [ 88 ], the Fars province of Southern Iran (8.73%) [ 89 ], and rural Zahedan, Iran (4%) [ 90 ]. The same holds true for South America, where the pooled prevalence was 0.0342, but higher prevalence rates were found in parts of Potos Department, Bolivia (4,3%) [ 91 , 92 ], and La Rioja Province, Argentina [ 93 ], emphasizing the need for more effective surveillance and control methods worldwide.…”

Prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in relatives of patients undergoing surgery for hepatic cystic echinococcosis in an endemic region

“…Positive CE serologies were detected in 22 relatives, yielding a prevalence of 10.2% following ELISA antibody detection, chest radiography, and abdominal ultrasound [ 16 ]. In another ultrasound-based screening study conducted in La Rioja, Argentina, it was concluded that the prevalence of relatives of surgically treated CE patients was 7.5% [ 17 ]. Therefore, the prevalence uncovered in our study experience (14.6%) is somewhat higher than that reported in previous studies.…”