Current prevalence and geographic distribution of helminth infections in the parasitic endemic areas of rural Northeastern Thailand

Abstract

Background Helminth infection is a global health issue that not only causes acute helminthiasis but long-term infection may lead to complicated symptoms as well as severe complications. The World Health Organization cooperated with the Ministry of Public Health in many countries, particularly where high prevalence, spending a lot of resources for limiting the infection. In Thailand, the incidence of parasitic helminth infections was continuously declined in the last few decades according to several campaigns for parasitic elimination. However, the rural community in the northeast of Thailand where the highest prevalence of the country still needs to be monitored. This present study aims to report the current prevalence of parasitic helminth infections in Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum provinces where sharing a huge area of the northeastern region of Thailand but only a few studies have been published. Methods The stool specimens were collected from 11,196 volunteers and processed by modified Kato-Katz thick smear, PBS-ethyl acetate concentration techniques, and PCR. The epidemiological data were collected, analyzed, and used for generating of parasitic hotspots. Results The results indicated that O. viverrini remains the major parasite in this area with a total prevalence of 5.05% followed by Taenia spp., Hookworms, T. trichiura, and Echinostoma spp., respectively. Mueang district of Chaiyaphum province has the highest prevalence especially O. viverrini with a prevalence of 7.15% that higher than the latest national surveillance. Interestingly, the prevalence of O. viverrini was hugely reported (more than 10%) in five subdistricts. The geographic localization of O. viverrini infections revealed that a lot of water reservoirs such as the lakes or branches of the river in the two-most prevalent subdistricts. Our finding indicated that gender and age were insignificantly different. Conclusion This finding suggested that the parasitic helminth infection in the rural areas of northeast of Thailand remains high and the housing location is a major contributing factor for the parasitic infection.

The Past and Present Situation of Opisthorchis viverrini Infection in Thailand

“…In 2010 and 2015, the results of surveillance that included 17 community-based surveys demonstrated a high prevalence of > 20%, and the highest prevalence (45.7%) was observed in a community in the northeastern region 17 . In 2023, the prevalence of O. viverrini in Chaiyaphum Province, northeastern Thailand, was 7.15%, which was higher than that in the national surveillance conducted in 2019, which reported a prevalence of only 2.2% 18 . Despite a decline in the overall prevalence at the national level, many studies have indicated that the infection rate of O. viverrini remains high in several communities within the northeastern areas [17][18] .…”

“…In 2023, the prevalence of O. viverrini in Chaiyaphum Province, northeastern Thailand, was 7.15%, which was higher than that in the national surveillance conducted in 2019, which reported a prevalence of only 2.2% 18 . Despite a decline in the overall prevalence at the national level, many studies have indicated that the infection rate of O. viverrini remains high in several communities within the northeastern areas [17][18] .…”

Hybrid-Capture Target Enrichment in Human Pathogens: Identification, Evolution, Biosurveillance, and Genomic Epidemiology

“…Unfortunately, NTDs are largely neglected because of economic and social imbalances—they disproportionately affect those with lower socioeconomic status [ 162 , 163 ]. Parasitic infections are emblematic of developing countries, stemming from limited access to clean water, food contamination, and other unhygienic practices, among other reasons [ 164 , 165 , 166 ]. While the need to tackle NTDs has been increasingly recognised, new challenges such as drug-resistant phenotypes, lack of vaccine candidates, and the lack of research funds threaten the efficacy of efforts underway [ 167 , 168 ].…”

Microscopic and molecular epidemiology of gastrointestinal nematodes in dairy and beef cattle in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand

“…[18][19][20], was performed by PCR amplification using species-specific primers (Table -2) [21,22]. PCR reactions were performed in a total volume of 25 μL as previously described by Martviset et al [23] using GoTaq® Hot Start Colorless Master Mix (Promega, WI, USA) in a thermal cycler (BIORAD T100 thermal Cycler, Singapore). The amplification steps consisted of 1 cycle of initial denaturation at 95°C for 2 min, followed by 30 cycles of 95°C for 30 s, 55-65°C for 45 s, and 72°C for 45 s, and a final extension at 72°C for 5 min.…”