Dataset Information

Seroprevalence of Sparganosis in Rural Communities of Northern Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: In this study, the seroprevalence of sparganosis and its relationship with sociodemographic factors in northern Tanzania have been assessed. A total of 216 serum samples from two rural districts, Monduli and Babati, were tested for sparganosis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence of anti-sparganum IgG antibodies was 62.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 56.1-68.9) in all age groups. There were significant associations between district (relative risk [RR] = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.42-2.69), education (RR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.15-1.70), and pet ownership with seropositivity (RR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.02-2.16) based on univariate analysis. However, only the district was significantly associated with seropositivity (odds ratio = 4.20, 95% CI = 1.89-9.32) in binary logistic regression analysis. Providing health education to people residing in sparganosis-endemic areas is likely to improve the efficacy of preventative measures and reduce human disease burden.

SUBMITTER: Kavana N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5062792 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Seroprevalence of Sparganosis in Rural Communities of Northern Tanzania.

Kavana Nicholas N Sonaimuthu Parthasarathy P Kasanga Christopher C Kassuku Ayub A Al-Mekhlafi Hesham M HM Fong Mun Yik MY Khan Mohammad Behram MB Mahmud Rohela R Lau Yee Ling YL

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 20160801 4

In this study, the seroprevalence of sparganosis and its relationship with sociodemographic factors in northern Tanzania have been assessed. A total of 216 serum samples from two rural districts, Monduli and Babati, were tested for sparganosis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence of anti-sparganum IgG antibodies was 62.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 56.1-68.9) in all age groups. There were significant associations between district (relative risk [RR] = 1.95, 95% CI ...[more]

PMID: 27481059

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Project description:BackgroundIn 2017, roughly 540 women in Sub-Saharan Africa died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. To stem this public-health crisis, the WHO recommends a standard continuity of maternal healthcare, yet most women do not receive this care. Surveys suggest that illiteracy limits the uptake of the recommended care, yet little is understood about why this is so. This gap in understanding why healthcare is not sought by illiterate women compromises the ability of public health experts and healthcare providers to provide culturally relevant policy and practice. This study consequently explores the lived experiences related to care-seeking by illiterate women of reproductive age in rural Tanzania to determine why they may not access maternal healthcare services.MethodsAn exploratory, qualitative study was conducted in four communities encompassing eight focus group discussions with 81 illiterate women, 13 in-depth interviews with illiterate women and seven key-informant interviews with members of these communities who have first-hand experience with the decisions made by women concerning maternal care. Interviews were conducted in the informant's native language. The interviews were coded, then triangulated.ResultsTwo themes emerged from the analysis: 1) a communication gap arising from a) the women's inability to read public-health documents provided by health facilities, and b) healthcare providers speaking a language, Swahili, that these women do not understand, and 2) a dependency by these women on family and neighbors to negotiate these barriers. Notably, these women understood of the potential benefits of maternal healthcare.ConclusionsThese women knew they should receive maternal healthcare but could neither read the public-health messaging provided by the clinics nor understand the language of the healthcare providers. More health needs of this group could be met by developing a protocol for healthcare providers to determine who is illiterate, providing translation services for those unable to speak Swahili, and graphic public health messaging that does not require literacy. A failure to address the needs of this at-risk group will likely mean that they will continue to experience barriers to obtaining maternal care with detrimental health outcomes for both mothers and newborns.

Project description:There is evidence that in southern US, leprosy is a zoonosis infecting wild Dasypus novemcinctus armadillos but the extent of this finding is unknown. This ecological study investigated leprosy in rural communities and in wild armadillos from the Brazilian Amazon. The study area was the Mamiá Lake of Coari municipality, Amazonas State, Northern region, a hyper endemic leprosy area where residents live on subsistence farming, fishing and armadillo hunting and its meat intake are frequent. The leprosy survey was conducted in sixteen communities by a visiting team of specialists. Local partakers provided wild armadillos to investigate M. leprae infection. Volunteers had complete dermato-neurological examination by a dermatologist with expertise in leprosy diagnosis, suspect skin lesions were biopsied for histopathology (Hematoxylin-eosin/HE, Fite-Faraco/FF staining); slit skin smears were collected. Armadillos' tissue fragments (skins, spleens, livers, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, others) were prepared for histopathology (HE/FF) and for M. leprae repetitive element-RLEP-qPCR. Among 176 volunteers, six new indeterminate leprosy cases were identified (incidence = 3.4%). Suspect skin sections and slit skin smears were negative for bacilli. Twelve wild D. novemcinctus were investigated (48 specimens/96 slides) and histopathological features of M. leprae infection were not found, except for one skin presenting unspecific inflammatory infiltrate suggestive of indeterminate leprosy. Possible traumatic neuroma, granuloma with epithelioid and Langhans cells, foreign-body granuloma were also identified. Granulomatous/non-granulomatous dermatitides were periodic-acid-Schiff/PAS negative for fungus. M. leprae-RLEP-qPCR was negative in all armadillos' tissues; no bacillus was found in histopathology. Our survey in rural communities confirmed the high endemicity for leprosy while one armadillo was compatible with paucibacillary M. leprae infection. At least in the highly endemic rural area of Coari, in the Brazilian Amazon region where infectious sources from untreated multibacillary leprosy are abundant, M. leprae infected armadillos may not represent a major source of infection nor a significant public health concern.

Dataset Information

Seroprevalence of Sparganosis in Rural Communities of Northern Tanzania.

Publications

Seroprevalence of Sparganosis in Rural Communities of Northern Tanzania.

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