Dracunculiasis Eradication: Are We There Yet?

Hopkins, Donald R.; Ruiz‐Tiben, Ernesto; Eberhard, Mark L.; Weiss, Adam; Withers, P. Craig; Roy, Sharon L.; Sienko, Dean G.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.18-0204

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The global Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP), led by The Carter Center and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners, began assisting ministries of health in countries with dracunculiasis. This report, based on updated health ministry data, describes progress to eradicate dracunculiasis during January 2018–June 2019 and updates previous reports ( 2 , 4 , 5 ). With only five countries currently affected by dracunculiasis (Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan), achievement of eradication is within reach, but it is challenged by civil unrest, insecurity, and lingering epidemiologic and zoologic questions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 67%

Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis — January 2018–June 2019

Hopkins¹,

Weiss²,

Roy³

et al. 2019

MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

mentioning

confidence: 67%

Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis — January 2018–June 2019

Hopkins¹,

Weiss²,

Roy³

et al. 2019

MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…A number of comprehensive reviews of D. medinensis biology, epidemiology and control are available (e.g. [1,8]) and the reader is referred to the extensive literature on the Guinea worm eradication program [5,9,[29][30][31], including regularly updated surveillance data (most recently in [11]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomic evidence that human and animal infections in Africa come from the same populations of Dracunculus medinensis

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Guinea worm–Dracunculus medinensis–was historically one of the major parasites of humans and has been known since antiquity. Now, Guinea worm is on the brink of eradication, as efforts to interrupt transmission have reduced the annual burden of disease from millions of infections per year in the 1980s to only 54 human cases reported globally in 2019. Despite the enormous success of eradication efforts to date, one complication has arisen. Over the last few years, hundreds of dogs have been found infected with this previously apparently anthroponotic parasite, almost all in Chad. Moreover, the relative numbers of infections in humans and dogs suggests that dogs are currently the principal reservoir on infection and key to maintaining transmission in that country. Principal findings In an effort to shed light on this peculiar epidemiology of Guinea worm in Chad, we have sequenced and compared the genomes of worms from dog, human and other animal infections. Confirming previous work with other molecular markers, we show that all of these worms are D. medinensis, and that the same population of worms are causing both infections, can confirm the suspected transmission between host species and detect signs of a population bottleneck due to the eradication efforts. The diversity of worms in Chad appears to exclude the possibility that there were no, or very few, worms present in the country during a 10-year absence of reported cases. Conclusions This work reinforces the importance of adequate surveillance of both human and dog populations in the Guinea worm eradication campaign and suggests that control programs aiming to interrupt disease transmission should stay aware of the possible emergence of unusual epidemiology as pathogens approach elimination.

show abstract

“…For the period 1 January–28 February 2019, three cases in Chad and one in Angola were reported (CDC, 2019b). Introducing filters for drinking water to avoid the ingestion of the intermediate host is one of the most essential prevention measures taken, together with the treatment of the water sources with the larvicide Temephos to kill the copepods, as well as education to prevent infected people from contaminating water resources (Hopkins et al ., 2018a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, dracunculiasis would have, in addition to humans, other well-established definitive hosts, dogs, but also cats and olive baboons ( Papio anubis ) have been found infected (Thiele et al ., 2018). Second, a new route of infection for humans, or any other definitive hosts, has been suggested: the ingestion of paratenic or transport hosts (mainly fish and frogs, which previously would have ingested infected copepods) harbouring the infective larvae (Cleveland et al ., 2017; Hopkins et al ., 2018a). This means that dracunculiasis, instead of being an exclusively water-borne anthroponosis, would also be a food-borne zoonosis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dracunculiasis: water-borne anthroponosis vs. food-borne zoonosis

Galán‐Puchades

2019

J. Helminthol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dracunculiasis is the first parasitic disease set for eradication. However, recent events related to the Dracunculus medinensis epidemiology in certain African countries are apparently posing new challenges to its eradication. Two novel facts have emerged: the existence of animal reservoirs (mainly dogs but also cats and baboons), and possibly a new food-borne route of transmission by the ingestion of paratenic (frogs) or transport (fish) hosts. Therefore, instead of being exclusively a water-borne anthroponosis, dracunculiasis would also be a food-borne zoonosis. The existence of a large number of infected dogs, mainly in Chad, and the low number of infected humans, have given rise to this potential food-borne transmission. This novel route would concern not only reservoirs, but also humans. However, only animals seem to be affected. Dracunculus medinensis is on the verge of eradication due to the control measures which, classically, have been exclusively aimed at the water-borne route. Therefore, food-borne transmission is probably of secondary importance, at least in humans. In Chad, reservoirs would become infected through the water-borne route, mainly in the dry season when rivers recede, and smaller accessible ponds, with a lower water level containing the infected copepods, appear, whilst humans drink filtered water and, thus, avoid infection. The total absence of control measures aimed at dogs (or at other potential reservoirs) up until the last years, added to the stimulating reward in cash given to those who find parasitized dogs, have presumably given rise to the current dracunculiasis scenario in Chad.

show abstract

Dracunculiasis Eradication: Are We There Yet?

Cited by 27 publications

References 9 publications

Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis — January 2018–June 2019

Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis — January 2018–June 2019

Population genomic evidence that human and animal infections in Africa come from the same populations of Dracunculus medinensis

Dracunculiasis: water-borne anthroponosis vs. food-borne zoonosis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About