BackgroundHuman cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) are highly endemic in Tibetan communities of Sichuan Province. Previous research in the region indicated that domestic dog was the major source of human infection, and observations indicated that domestic dog could have more access to intermediate hosts of Echinococcus spp.: both domestic livestock (CE) viscera and small mammals (AE), in early winter and again in spring. We hypothesized that there would therefore be a significant increase in the risk of canine infection with Echinococcus spp. in these two seasons and conducted a reinfection study to investigate this further.MethodsFaecal samples were collected from owned dogs in seven townships in Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan Province, China), and Echinococcus spp. infection status was determined using copro-antigen ELISA. Dogs were sampled in April (spring), July (early summer), September/October (autumn/early winter) and December (winter) in 2009; and in April (spring) 2010. Dogs were treated with praziquantel following each of the five sample collections to eliminate any tapeworms. Information on dog sex, age and body weight was also collected. The t-test, Fisher’s exact test, Poisson regression and logistic regression were used to compare means and prevalences, and to identify factors associated with infection status.ResultsThe proportion of female dogs was significantly lower than that of male dogs; female dogs had significantly higher (22.78 %) baseline copro-ELISA prevalence than males (11.88 %). Dog body weight, sex, age, county and previous infection status at any sampling point had no influence on the re-infection prevalence in general. Poisson regression did not found a significant influence on the re-infection prevalence due to different deworming/sampling time spans. Dogs exhibited significantly higher re-infection prevalences in spring and early summer of 2009 and in early winter between September/October and December of 2009, suggesting a higher infection pressure in these seasons comparing with other seasons.ConclusionFollowing praziquantel treatment, dog body weight, sex, age, county, deworming time span and previous infection status at any sampling point had no influence on the re-infection prevalence in the region in general. The differences between re-infection prevalences were probably due to the seasonality in Echinoccocus spp. infection pressure in the region. Early winter, spring and early summer should be important seasons for optimal dog deworming intervention in these Tibetan communities.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0155-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Background Echinococcosis is a global zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus larvae. This disease is highly endemic in Sichuan Province, China. This study investigates the prevalence and spatial distribution characteristics of human echinococcosis at the township level in Sichuan Province, geared towards providing a future reference for the development of precise prevention and control strategies. Methods Human prevalence of echinococcosis was evaluated using the B-ultrasonography diagnostic method in Sichuan Province between 2016 and 2019. All data were collected, collated, and analyzed. A spatial distribution map was drawn to intuitively analyze the spatial distribution features. Eventually, the spatial autocorrelation was specified and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) clustering map was drawn to investigate the spatial aggregation of echinococcosis at the township level in Sichuan Province. Results The prevalence of echinococcosis in humans of Sichuan Province was 0.462%, among which the occurrence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) was 0.221%, while that of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) was 0.244%. Based on the results of the spatial distribution map, a predominance of echinococcosis in humans decreased gradually from west to east and from north to south. The Global Moran’s I index was 0.77 (Z = 32.07, P < 0.05), indicating that the prevalence of echinococcosis in humans was spatially clustered, exhibiting a significant spatial positive correlation. Further, the findings of local spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed that the “high–high” concentration areas were primarily located in some townships in the northwest of Sichuan Province. However, the “low–low” concentration areas were predominantly located in some townships in the southeast of Sichuan Province. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that the prevalence of echinococcosis in humans of Sichuan Province follows a downward trend, suggesting that the current prevention and control work has achieved substantial outcomes. Nevertheless, the prevalence in humans at the township level is widely distributed and differs significantly, with a clear clustering in space. Therefore, precise prevention and control strategies should be formulated for clusters, specifically strengthening the “high–high” clusters at the township level. Graphic Abstract
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