VetSRev
Database of veterinary systematic reviews
Database of veterinary systematic reviews
Infectious Diseases of Poverty (2019) 8:
DOI: 10.1186/s40249-019-0555-3
Background: Strongyloidiasis is a gastrointestinal infection caused by the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis. It is estimated to infect up to 370 million people globally and is predominately found in tropical and subtropical areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. Main body: This systematic literature review identified studies published in the last ten years on the risk factors, diagnosis, prevalence and/or clinical outcomes of strongyloidiasis in Ethiopia. The prevalence of S. stercoralis ranged from 0.2 to 11.1% in adults, 0.3% to 20.7% in children, 1.5% to 17.3% in HIV positive adults and 5% in HIV positive children. The identified studies primarily used microscopy based techniques that potentially underestimated the prevalence four fold compared with serology and PCR. Strongyloidiasis in children presents a particularly significant issue in Ethiopia as children often presented with anemia, which is associated with impaired mental and cognitive development. The most significant risk factor for strongyloidiasis was HIV status and although other risk factors were identified for helminth infections, none were statistically significant for S. stercoralis specifically. Several studies detected S. stercoralis in dogs and non-biting cyclorrhaphan flies. However, future research is needed to explore the role of these reservoirs in disease transmission. Conclusions: This review demonstrated that strongyloidiasis is an overlooked and neglected disease in Ethiopia. There is a need for a systematic approach using a combination of molecular and serology based diagnostic methods to ascertain the true incidence and burden of strongyloidiasis in Ethiopia. Further research is also needed to break the cycle of transmission by identifying environmental reservoirs, risk factors and exploring the potential for zoonotic transfer.
Yitagele, T., Ross, K., & Whiley, H. (2019). Strongyloidiasis in Ethiopia: systematic review on risk factors, diagnosis, prevalence and clinical outcomes. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 8(53). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-019-0555-3 dogs, Diagnosis of Animal Diseases [LL886], techniques, Techniques and Methodology [ZZ900], man, systematic reviews, Animal Nutrition (General) [LL500], Ethiopia, Non-communicable Diseases and Injuries of Animals [LL860], animal parasitic nematodes, animal-parasitic nematodes, literature reviews, Nematoda, nematode infections, nematode parasites of animals, nematodes, nematodes of animals, children, human diseases, zoonoses, zoonotic infections, disease transmission, helminthoses, helminths, infections, parasites, parasitoses, risk factors, viral diseases, diagnostic techniques, tropics, communicable diseases, infectious diseases, alimentary tract, digestive system, gastrointestinal diseases, gastrointestinal system, parasitic diseases, parasitic infestations, parasitosis, Protozoan, Helminth and Arthropod Parasites of Humans [VV220], Protozoan, Helminth, Mollusc and Arthropod Parasites of Animals [LL822], Prion, Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens of Humans [VV210], parasitic worms, viral infections, subsaharan Africa, Abyssinia, anaemia, anemia, cognitive development, HIV infections, human immunodeficiency virus infections, human immunodeficiency viruses, Lentivirus, mental development, neglected tropical diseases, serology, soil, Strongyloides, Strongyloides stercoralis, strongyloidiasis, Strongyloididae, tropical countries, tropical diseases, tropical zones