A systematic review and meta-analysis of human and zoonotic dog soil-transmitted helminth infections in Australian Indigenous communities

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infect 1.5 billion people and countless animals worldwide. In Australian Indigenous communities, STH infections have largely remained endemic despite control efforts, suggesting reservoirs of infection may exist. Dogs fulfil various important cultural, social and occupational roles in Australian Indigenous communities and are populous in these settings. Dogs may also harbour zoonotic STHs capable of producing morbidity and mortality in dogs and humans. This review provides an overview of human and zoonotic STH infections, identifies the Australian Indigenous locations affected and the parasite species and hosts involved. The meta-analysis provides estimates of individual study and pooled true prevalence of STH infections in Australian Indigenous communities and identifies knowledge gaps for further research on zoonotic or anthroponotic potential. A systematic literature search identified 45 eligible studies documenting the presence of Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura, Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma duodenale, Ancylostoma ceylanicum, undifferentiated hookworm, and Ascaris lumbricoides. Of these studies, 26 were also eligible for inclusion in meta-analysis to establish true prevalence in the light of imperfect diagnostic test sensitivity and specificity by Rogan-Gladen and Bayesian methods. These studies revealed pooled true prevalence estimates of 18.9% (95% CI 15.8–22.1) for human and canine S. stercoralis infections and 77.3% (95% CI 63.7–91.0) for canine A. caninum infections indicating continued endemicity, but considerably more heterogenous pooled estimates for canine A. ceylanicum infections, and A. duodenale, undifferentiated hookworm and T. trichiura in humans. This review suggests that the prevalence of STHs in Australian Indigenous communities has likely been underestimated, principally based on imperfect diagnostic tests. Potential misclassification of hookworm species in humans and dogs due to outdated methodology, also obscures this picture. High-quality contemporary studies are required to establish current true prevalence of parasite species in all relevant hosts to guide future policy development and control decisions under a culturally sound One Health framework.

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of strongyloidiasis in indigenous communities and healthcare professionals from Brazil

“…A meta-analysis focused on soil transmitted helminthiasis in Australian indigenous communities has highlighted the use of a wide range of S . stercoralis methods for detecting infection, with different sensitivities and specificities, resulting in a plausible prevalence underestimation [ 41 ]. Other metanalytic study has included 20 articles on strongyloidiasis prevalence of minority indigenous populations of South-East Asia and the Western Pacific Region, revealing an overall 16.8% of serological prevalence, significantly higher (p = 0.004) than 4.1% observed by microscopy [ 36 ].…”

Monitoring studies of the spread of toxocarosis in dogs in the city of Poltava

“…Гельмінтози дрібних домашніх тварин широко поширені, економічно значущі, а багато з них мають соціальне значення і становлять серйозну загрозу здоров'ю людини. Проблема паразитарних хвороб собак завжди була актуальною та викликала зацікавленість багатьох дослідників (Joffe et al, 2011;Mulinge et al, 2021;Raw et al, 2022). Доведено, що окремі гельмінти, що паразитують у домашніх собак, є потенційно небезпечними для людини.…”

Serological diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminth (Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm) infections: A scoping review

“…Firstly, to list the currently available assays that make use of blood fluids (serum and plasma) as primary specimens to diagnose STH infections. Given the wide prevalence of STH infections in various animal species (e.g., hookworms in dogs [ 19 ], Ascaris in pigs [ 20 ]) our research also seeks to include veterinary tests, recognizing their potential relevance and application in the field of human medicine in the future. Secondly, to examine the methodology used in this research field (e.g., sample sets used and assessments of test performance), and thirdly, to report and discuss advancements in serological diagnosis for soil-transmitted helminthiases to guide prevention and control programs in both veterinary and human medicine.…”