Title
Socioeconomic factors associated with Fasciola hepatica infection among children from 26 communities of the cusco region of Peru
Date Issued
01 January 2018
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
Fasciola hepatica is the most widely distributed trematode-affecting humans. The Andes Mountains are highly endemic for fascioliasis. We report results of a cross-sectional study evaluating the epidemiology of Fasciola among children in 26 agricultural communities in the Cusco region of Peru. Children 3 to 16 years old were enrolled in preschools and schools. Blood from participants was tested for complete blood counts, transaminases, and Fasciola antibodies. Stool samples were tested for Fasciola and other parasites. A total of 2,515 children were included in the analysis and the mean age was 9.6 years (±3.6). Ten percent (253) of the children had at least one positive test for Fasciola, 6% had chronic infection, and 0.4% acute infection. The rest of the subjects had only antibodies against Fasciola. The prevalence of infection varied from 0% to 20% between communities. Children with evidence of Fasciola exposure were older, lived at higher altitudes, and had a lower socioeconomic status than children without infection. The logistic regression analysis showed that children from Ancahuasi district, older children, and children with higher measures of poverty were more likely to have Fasciola exposure. Fascioliasis is common in the Cusco region and associated with poverty. However, the distribution varies markedly between communities.
Start page
1180
End page
1185
Volume
99
Issue
5
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Parasitología Gastroenterología, Hepatología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85056255730
PubMed ID
Source
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ISSN of the container
0002-9637
Sponsor(s)
Financial support: This work was supported by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (grant number 1R01AI104820–01).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus