Parasite Epidemiology and Control最新文献

{"title":"Investigating intestinal parasitic infections with emphasis on molecular identification of Strongyloides stercoralis and Trichostrongylus colubriformis in north of Iran","authors":"Fatemeh Hajizadeh ,&nbsp;Tahereh Mikaeili Galeh ,&nbsp;Seyed Abdollah Hosseini ,&nbsp;Seyyed Ali Shariatzadeh ,&nbsp;Akram Hematizadeh ,&nbsp;Javad Javidnia ,&nbsp;Mitra Sadeghi ,&nbsp;Mahdi Fakhar ,&nbsp;Shirzad Gholami","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00312","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Currently, parasitic infections are one of the important health problems in the world, especially in developing countries. This study aims to investigate intestinal parasites with an emphasis on molecular identification through the analysis of mitochondrial <em>COX1</em> and <em>ITS2</em> gene sequences of <em>Strongyloides stercoralis</em> (<em>S. stercoralis</em>) and <em>Trichostrongylus</em> spp. in north of Iran. Five hundred forty stool samples were collected from medical diagnostic laboratories affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Sari city, north of Iran. First, all the samples were examined using direct smear, formalin-ether sedimentation, and trichrome staining technique. Suspected samples of <em>Strongyloides</em> larvae were cultured in agar plate. Then, DNA was extracted from samples containing <em>Trichostrongylus</em> spp. eggs and <em>Strongyloides</em> larvae. To amplify DNA, PCR was performed and the samples with a sharp band in electrophoresis were sequenced by Sanger method. Overall, the prevalence of parasitic infections in the study population was 5.4%. The highest and the lowest level of infection was observed with <em>Trichostrongylus</em> spp. and <em>S. stercoralis</em> at 3% and 0.2%, respectively. No traces of live <em>Strongyloides</em> larvae were seen in the culture medium of the agar plate. The six isolates obtained from the amplification of the <em>ITS2</em> gene of <em>Trichostrongylus</em> spp. were sequenced, all of which were <em>Trichostrongylus colubriformis</em>. The sequencing results of <em>COX1</em> gene indicated <em>S. stercoralis</em>. In the present study, the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in north of Iran has relatively decreased that its main reason can be due to the coronavirus epidemic and compliance with health principles. However, the prevalence of <em>Trichostrongylus</em> parasite was relatively high that it requires special attention to apply appropriate control and treatment strategies in this field.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49856717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis in traditional farms in South-Eastern Côte d'Ivoire","authors":"Kouassi Eugene Koffi ,&nbsp;Man-Koumba Soumahoro ,&nbsp;Kouadio Borel N'Dri ,&nbsp;Mireille Nowakowski ,&nbsp;Cataud Marius Guédé ,&nbsp;O. Marcel Boka ,&nbsp;Jihen Melki ,&nbsp;Offianan André Touré ,&nbsp;Joseph Djaman ,&nbsp;Jacques Bellalou ,&nbsp;K. Eliezer N'Goran ,&nbsp;Ronan Jambou","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00311","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00311","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Porcine cysticercosis is an endemic parasitic zoonosis in many developing countries. The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis in traditional pig farms in the departments of Dabou, Aboisso and Agboville.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Blood samples were taken from pigs and analyzed by ELISA (IgG) and western blot. Data on farming practices and pig characteristics were collected. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to identify risk factors.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A total of 668 pigs were sampled from 116 farms and 639 samples were analyzed. The seroprevalence of cysticercosis was estimated at 13.2%. Overweight [OR = 2.6; 95%CI (1.3–4.9)] and fat pigs [OR = 2.3; 95%CI (1.0–4.8)] were twice as likely to be seropositive for cysticercosis. This risk was increased in farms using well water for drinking [OR = 2.5; 95%CI (1.0–6.3)] as well as those reporting veterinary care of the animals (OR = 2.9; 95%CI (1.2–7.3)).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This study demonstrated the circulation of <em>Taenia solium</em> in pig farms in southern Côte d'Ivoire.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/3f/2f/main.PMC10285562.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9707632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coprological and postmortem assessment and economic significance of bovine fasciolosis in cattle slaughtered at Tarcha Municipal Abattoir, Southern Ethiopia","authors":"Mesfin Mathewos ,&nbsp;Habtamu Endale ,&nbsp;Mulugeta Kebamo","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bovine fasciolosis caused by <em>Fasciola hepatica</em> and <em>Fasciola gigantica</em>, is a neglected tropical snail-borne trematode disease of cattle that poses an adverse effect on animals' health culminating in economic damage. Cross-sectional investigation on coprological and postmortem assessment and economic significance of bovine fasciolosis in cattle slaughtered at Tarcha Municipal Abattoir, Southern Ethiopia through simple random sampling techniques was conducted from December 2020 to August 2021. Out of 384 cattle examined, 20.3% and 29.94% were found harboring <em>Fasciola</em> through coprological examination and postmortem examination respectively. The leading cause of fasciolosis in the study area was <em>Fasciola gigantica</em> (53.9%) as compared to <em>F. hepatica</em> (46.1%). The investigation revealed that the sex, origin, and body condition of the cattle has a statistically significant effect on the prevalence of bovine fasciolosis. The odds of male animals infested with fasciolosis were 2.25 times higher than female cattle and those of poor body-conditioned cattle were three times higher than cattle with good body condition. In postmortem examination, an average of 6 flukes were found in a single infested liver and the mean fluke count was (10 ± 1.97) in severely infested livers while in lightly infested livers (3± 1.79). Considering postmortem examination as the gold standard for diagnosis of fasciolosis, the sensitivity of the direct sedimentation technique was found to be 68% and the specificity 100% with substantial agreement (k = 0.74) between the two methods. The estimated yearly direct financial losses incurred owing to fasciolosis was around 2,227,536 2, Birr (47,945.24 USD). Thus, bovine fasciolosis is one of the economically important animal diseases in the study area, which necessitates integrated control measures to tackle its effect on animal health and subsequent economic impact.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/69/f0/main.PMC10374966.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10267884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis among children in Iran: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Elnaz Moussavi ,&nbsp;Mohammad Houssaini ,&nbsp;Nader Salari ,&nbsp;Mahvan Hemmati ,&nbsp;Ahmad Abdullahi ,&nbsp;Ali Asghar Khaleghi ,&nbsp;Shamarina Shohaimi ,&nbsp;Masoud Mohammadi","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Parasitic infections are among the most common diseases worldwide, and enterobiasis is a well-known type of parasitic infection in children. Given the existence of several reports on the prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> in different provinces of Iran and the heterogeneity of the reported prevalence data, this study aims to investigate the overall prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> among children in Iran through a systematic review and meta-analysis.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>This systematic review and meta-analysis study involved a comprehensive search of several databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, SID, and Google Scholar, focusing on cross-sectional studies that examined the prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> infection in Iranian children. The identified studies were entered into the EndNote software for review. The quality of observational studies was evaluated using the STROBE checklist. The information extracted from the studies was entered into the Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA, Version 2) software. Heterogeneity among the studies was analyzed using the I² test, and publication bias was assessed using the Egger test and funnel plot.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A total of 51 studies, with a sample size of 46,070 children, were included in the review. Using the random effects method, the overall prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> among children in Iran was determined to be 6.7% (95%CI: 5.2–8.6). The review of the factors affecting study heterogeneity and sample size indicated that as sample size increased, the prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> among children in Iran also increased (<em>p</em> = 0.578). Additionally, with an increase in the year of conducting the studies, the prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> among children in Iran decreased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The findings of this study show a relatively high prevalence of <em>Enterobius vermicularis</em> among children in Iran. We recommend health policymakers recognize the significance of this issue and take necessary measures to reduce the incidence of this infectious agent in children, implementing more effective preventive measures through mass media and educational campaigns.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49856678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and genotyping of Acanthamoeba spp. in the water resources of western Iran","authors":"Azadeh Karimi ,&nbsp;Farnaz Kheirandish ,&nbsp;Amirreza Javadi Mamaghani ,&nbsp;Niloofar Taghipour ,&nbsp;Syedeh Fatemeh Mousavi ,&nbsp;Ali Aghajani ,&nbsp;Nozhat Zebardast ,&nbsp;Majid Faraji ,&nbsp;Shirzad Fallahi Professor in Medical Parasitology","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00308","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00308","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p><em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. is opportunistic amoeba that resides in water, soil, and air. Some pathogenic genotypes of the genus of <em>Acanthamoeba</em> can cause granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) in people with a defective immune system. The parasite can also cause <em>Acanthamoeba</em> keratitis (AK) among contact lens users. This study was conducted to isolate and identify the <em>Acanthamoeba</em> genotypes in water resources in Lorestan province, western Iran.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Collected 72 water samples from surface and groundwater (springs and aqueducts) in Lorestan province. Samples were filtered and cultured in non-nutrient 1.5% agar medium covered with <em>Escherichia coli (E. coli)</em> at 25 °C. DNA extraction was done and the PCR reaction was performed to detect the <em>Acanthamoeba</em> spp. The positive PCR products were sequenced to determine the genotypes of <em>Acanthamoeba.</em></p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Out of 72 examined water samples, 23.61% were positive for <em>Acanthamoeba</em> sp. by PCR. From PCR-positive samples, 8 (47.05%) samples were T4 genotypes and others were other <em>Acanthamoeba</em> genotypes (T1-T23). Therefore, approximately half of the genotypes belong to the pathogenic T4 genotype.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The water examined samples in western provinces of Iran have the potential risk factor for public health. Therefore, the efforts of healthcare providers are needed to identify, train, and prevention from human infections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49856716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular and immunological diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis from different hosts in the Gaza Strip, Palestine","authors":"Adnan I. Al-Hindi ,&nbsp;Tony Bodell ,&nbsp;Ayed Alshammari","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00298","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The aim of the present study was to determine the molecular characteristics of <em>Echinococcus granulosus</em> sensu lato from faecal samples of dogs and the hydatid cyst from liver of bovine, camel, cattle, and sheep and the immunodiagnosis of Hydatid cyst in human sera samples from the Gaza Strip, in Palestine. A total of 38 faecal samples were collected near farms and local markets where stray dogs were grouping there. Post-slaughtering, the livers of the bovine, camel, cattle, and sheep were examined for cysts. Where 30 suspected hydatid cysts were collected, the number and size of cysts in each liver were recorded. For serology, 23 sera specimens were collected from farmers within the Gaza Strip. According to hospital records in Gaza, 12 patients had attended three different hospitals and had tested positive for hydatid cyst/cystic echinococcosis by CT scans and histopathology. ELISA results from the 23 human patients showed that 3/23 (13%) tested positive for hydatid disease. Of the 30 bovine and cattle harboring cysts, 14/30 (46.6%) were positive for hydatid cyst/cystic echinococcosis of which 23 (76.7%) were males and 7 (23.3%) were females. The present study shows that 6/38 (15.7%) were positive for <em>E. granulosus</em> sensu lato from faecal analysis in dogs. Subsequent sequencing of both dogs and cattle confirmed infection by the G1 strain. The cattle/dog strain (G1) of <em>E.granulosus</em> sensu lato suggests that this infection is cosmopolitan in its distribution. It is concluded that the detection of hydatid cyst/cystic echinococcosis in the examined hosts either human or animals should be considered among physicians and a large sample size is recommended in future research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10068256/pdf/main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9257681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Co-infection of COVID-19 and parasitic diseases: A systematic review","authors":"Fatemeh Nemati Zargaran ,&nbsp;Mosayeb Rostamian ,&nbsp;Sara Kooti ,&nbsp;Hamid Madanchi ,&nbsp;Keyghobad Ghadiri","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00299","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00299","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Co-infection of COVID-19 with other diseases increases the challenges related to its treatment management. COVID-19 co-infection with parasites is studied with low frequency. Here, we systematically reviewed the cases of parasitic disease co-infection with COVID-19. All articles on COVID-19 co-infected with parasites (protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites), were screened through defined inclusion/exclusion criteria.</p><p>Of 2190 records, 35 studies remained for data extraction. The majority of studies were about COVID-19 co-infected with malaria, followed by strongyloidiasis, amoebiasis, chagas, filariasis, giardiasis, leishmaniasis, lophomoniasis, myiasis, and toxoplasmosis. No or low manifestation differences were reported between the co-infected cases and naïve COVID-19 or naïve parasitic disease.</p><p>Although there was a relatively low number of reports on parasitic diseases-COVID-19 co-infection, COVID-19 and some parasitic diseases have overlapping symptoms and also COVID-19 conditions and treatment regimens may cause some parasites re-emergence, relapse, or re-activation. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the on-time diagnosis of COVID-19 and the co-infected parasites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10062795/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9444868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling cryptosporidiosis in humans and cattle: Deterministic and stochastic approaches","authors":"Faraja Luhanda ,&nbsp;Jacob I. Irunde ,&nbsp;Dmitry Kuznetsov","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00293","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00293","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease caused by <em>Cryptosporidium</em>. The disease poses a public and veterinary health problem worldwide. A deterministic model and its corresponding continuous time Markov chain (CTMC) stochastic model are developed and analyzed to investigate cryptosporidiosis transmission dynamics in humans and cattle. The basic reproduction number <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span> for the deterministic model and stochastic threshold for the CTMC stochastic model are computed by the next generation matrix method and multitype branching process, respectively. The normalized forward sensitivity index method is used to determine the sensitivity index for each parameter in <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span>. Per capita birth rate of cattle, the rate of cattle to acquire cryptosporidiosis infection from the environment and the rate at which infected cattle shed <em>Cryptosporidium</em> oocysts in the environment play an important role in the persistence of the disease whereas <em>Cryptosporidium</em> oocysts natural death rate, cattle recovery rate and cattle natural death rate are most negative sensitive parameters in the dynamics of cryptosporidiosis. Numerical results for CTMC stochastic model show that the likelihood of cryptosporidiosis extinction is high when it arises from an infected human. However, there is a major outbreak if cryptosporidiosis emerges either from infected cattle or from <em>Cryptosporidium</em> oocysts in the environment or when it emerges from all three infectious compartments. Therefore to control the disease, control measures should focus on maintaining personal and cattle farm hygiene and decontaminating the environment to destroy <em>Cryptosporidium</em> oocysts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/a9/63/main.PMC10006701.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9465326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Persistently high proportions of plasmodium-infected Anopheles funestus mosquitoes in two villages in the Kilombero valley, South-Eastern Tanzania” [Parasite Epidemiology and Control 18 (2022) e00264]","authors":"Salum A. Mapua ,&nbsp;Emmanuel E. Hape ,&nbsp;Japhet Kihonda ,&nbsp;Hamis Bwanary ,&nbsp;Khamis Kifungo ,&nbsp;Masoud Kilalangongono ,&nbsp;Emmanuel W. Kaindoa ,&nbsp;Halfan S. Ngowo ,&nbsp;Fredros O. Okumu","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00301","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49863997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An update on epidemiology and clinical aspects of besnoitiosis in livestock and wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review","authors":"Mokgadi Pulane Malatji ,&nbsp;Danisile Tembe ,&nbsp;Samson Mukaratirwa","doi":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.parepi.2023.e00284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Besnoitiosis is a parasitic disease of economic importance caused by cyst-forming protozoa from the genus <em>Besnoitia</em>. The disease affects the skin, subcutis, blood vessels, and mucous membranes of the animals. It is traditionally endemic in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, and causes enormous economic loss associated with impaired productivity and reproduction, as well as skin lesions. Therefore, knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease, including the current <em>Besnoitia</em> species occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, the wide range of mammalian species hosts they use as intermediate hosts, and the clinical signs manifested by infected animals is crucial in developing effective prevention and control measures. This review collected information from peer-reviewed publications involving the epidemiology and clinical signs of besnoitiosis in sub-Saharan Africa using four electronic databases. Results showed that <em>B. besnoiti</em>, <em>B. bennetti, B. caprae, B. darlingi-like</em> and unidentified <em>Besnoitia</em> spp. were found naturally infecting livestock and wildlife across nine reviewed sub-Saharan African countries. <em>Besnoitia besnoiti</em> was the most common species, occurring in all nine reviewed countries, and utilised a wide range of mammalian species as intermediate hosts. Prevalence of <em>B. besnoiti</em> ranged from 2.0 to 80.3%, and <em>B. caprae</em> 5.45–46.53%. Infection rate was high with serology compared to other techniques. Some of the typical signs of besnoitiosis included sand-like cysts on the sclera conjunctiva, nodules in the skin, thickening and wrinkling of the skin and alopecia. Inflammation, thickening and wrinkling of the scrotum were observed in bulls, and lesions on the scrotum deteriorated progressively and became generalized in some cases in spite of treatment. There is still a need for surveys focusing on detecting and identifying <em>Besnoitia</em> spp. using molecular techniques in combination with serological, histology and visual observation, and scoping their natural intermediate and definitive hosts, as well as assessing the burden of the disease animals reared on different husbandry systems in sub-Saharan Africa.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37873,"journal":{"name":"Parasite Epidemiology and Control","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/49/ae/main.PMC9922981.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10744623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}