Dataset Information

Co-infections of malaria and geohelminthiasis in two rural communities of Nkassomo and Vian in the Mfou health district, Cameroon.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Human co-infection with malaria and helmimths is ubiquitous throughout Africa. Nevertheless, its public health significance on malaria severity remains poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:To contribute to a better understanding of epidemiology and control of this co-infection in Cameroon, a cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of concomitant intestinal geohelminthiasis and malaria, and to evaluate its association with malaria and anaemia in Nkassomo and Vian. Finger prick blood specimens from a total of 263 participants aged 1-95 years were collected for malaria microscopy, assessment of haemoglobin levels, and molecular identification of Plasmodium species by PCR. Fresh stool specimens were also collected for the identification and quantification of geohelminths by the Kato-Katz method. The prevalence of malaria, geohelminths, and co-infections were 77.2%, 28.6%, and 22.1%, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum was the only malaria parasite species identified with mean parasite density of 111 (40; 18,800) parasites/µl of blood. The geohelminths found were Ascaris lumbricoides (21.6%) and Trichuris trichiura (10.8%), with mean parasite densities of 243 (24; 3,552) and 36 (24; 96) eggs/gram of faeces, respectively. Co-infections of A. lumbricoides and P. falciparum were the most frequent and correlated positively. While no significant difference was observed on the prevalences of single and co-infections between the two localities, there was a significant difference in the density of A. lumbricoides infection between the two localities. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 42%, with individuals co-infected with T. trichiura and P. falciparum (60%) being the most at risk. While the prevalence of malaria and anaemia were inversely related to age, children aged 5-14 years were more susceptible to geohelminthiasis and their co-infections with malaria. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:Co-existence of geohelminths and malaria parasites in Nkassomo and Vian enhances the occurrence of co-infections, and consequently, increases the risk for anaemia.

SUBMITTER: Zeukeng F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4199518 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Co-infections of malaria and geohelminthiasis in two rural communities of Nkassomo and Vian in the Mfou health district, Cameroon.

Zeukeng Francis F Tchinda Viviane Hélène Matong VH Bigoga Jude Daiga JD Seumen Clovis Hugues Tiogang CH Ndzi Edward Shafe ES Abonweh Géraldine G Makoge Valérie V Motsebo Amédée A Moyou Roger Somo RS

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20141016 10

<h4>Background</h4>Human co-infection with malaria and helmimths is ubiquitous throughout Africa. Nevertheless, its public health significance on malaria severity remains poorly understood.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>To contribute to a better understanding of epidemiology and control of this co-infection in Cameroon, a cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of concomitant intestinal geohelminthiasis and malaria, and to evaluate its association with malaria and ...[more]

PMID: 25329479

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Project description:BackgroundOverweight and obesity are major public health problems worldwide, with projections suggesting a proportional increase in the number of affected individuals in developing countries by the year 2030. Evidence-based preventive strategies are needed to reduce the burden of overweight and obesity in developing countries. We assessed the prevalence of, and factors associated with overweight and obesity in selected health areas in West Cameroon.MethodsData were collected from a community-based cross-sectional study, involving the consecutive recruitment of participants aged 18 years or older. Overweight and obesity were defined according to the WHO classification. The statistical software R (version 3.5.1, The R Foundation for statistical computing, Vienna, Austria) was used for statistical analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess independent factors associated with overweight and obesity, and obesity.ResultsRecords of 485 participants were included for analysis. The age and sex-standardized prevalence of overweight, obesity, and overweight and obesity were 31.1% (95% CI, 27.0-35.2), 18.9% (95% CI, 14.9-22.9), and 50.1% (95% CI, 45.7-54.6), respectively. In multivariable analysis, being female (adjusted OR [aOR] = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.69-4.63), married (aOR = 3.90, 95% CI = 2.23-6.95), and having secondary or tertiary education (aOR = 3.27, 95% CI = 1.77-6.17) were associated with higher odds of overweight and obesity, while current smokers had lower odds of overweight and obesity (aOR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.16-0.82) when compared to their respective counterpart. Compared to their respective reference categories, being female being (aOR = 3.74, 95% CI = 2.01-7.30), married (aOR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.37-5.05) and having secondary or tertiary education (aOR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.00-4.23) were associated with higher odds of obesity after adjustments for confounding.ConclusionWe observed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in this study. The odds of overweight and obesity was higher in females, married participants, and those with higher levels of education. Community-based interventions to control overweight and obesity should consider targeting these groups.

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Dataset Information

Co-infections of malaria and geohelminthiasis in two rural communities of Nkassomo and Vian in the Mfou health district, Cameroon.

Publications

Co-infections of malaria and geohelminthiasis in two rural communities of Nkassomo and Vian in the Mfou health district, Cameroon.

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