Review of Cystic Echinococcosis in Nigeria: A Story of Neglect

Abstract

Purpose Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato is a widespread zoonotic disease of global concern. In Nigeria, the exact picture/status of CE is unclear, as most of the states are largely uninvestigated. Yet, as with every parasitic zoonosis, the first step towards planning a comprehensive management and control programme involves assessment of available national/regional prevalence data, host range, and risk factors at play in the transmission dynamics. Methods Published articles on echinococcosis were searched on PubMed and Africa Journal Online (AJOL) databases. Inclusion criteria were based on studies reporting prevalence of echinococcosis in animals and humans (including case reports) from 1970 to 2018. Results In this study, we evaluated and summarized cystic echinococcosis reports in Nigeria and found that post 1970-80s, studies on cystic echinococcosis have remained sparse regardless of the high prevalence recorded in the early years of CE investigation. In addition, information on the genetic population structure and the role of wildlife in CE transmission is still lacking. Conclusions This study appraises the prevalence and distribution of CE in Nigeria and identified areas where surveillance and control efforts should be focused and intensified.

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Porcine Echinococcosis at the Ivorian Pig Slaughter Company (SIVAC), Yopougon Abidjan: A Cross Sectional Study

“…These results are contrary to those obtained from a study conducted on ruminants in north east Morocco by El Brebri et al [12]. According to them, females are more vulnerable to echinococcosis infection than males [13]. This difference could also be explained by the lower number of female animals examined in this study.…”

Prevalence and distribution ofEchinococcusspp. in wild and domestic animals across Africa: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…However, a study from Nigeria recently reported a CE infection in a dromedary that was caused by the G1 genotype (Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Isaac, et al, 2019). Thus, the rareness of the G1 genotype in the sub‐region could be due to poor surveillance as most countries in the sub‐region are largely uninvestigated (Deplazes et al., 2017; Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Isaac, et al, 2019; Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Zhu, et al, 2019). This scarcity of data and the uneven distribution of the available studies in the sub‐region could make the observation relatively less representative.…”

First report ofEchinococcus granulosus sensu stricto(G1) in Nigeria, West Africa

“…In Nigeria, although the high prevalence of CE in livestock attracted a lot of concern between 1970 and 1990, not much has been done lately (see the review by Ohiolei et al ., 2019b). In humans, the seemingly low CE prevalence has been attributed to poor surveillance, lack of differential diagnosis and poor knowledge by medical personnel (Fasina & Ogun, 2017; Ohiolei et al ., 2019b).…”

“…In Nigeria, although the high prevalence of CE in livestock attracted a lot of concern between 1970 and 1990, not much has been done lately (see the review by Ohiolei et al ., 2019b). In humans, the seemingly low CE prevalence has been attributed to poor surveillance, lack of differential diagnosis and poor knowledge by medical personnel (Fasina & Ogun, 2017; Ohiolei et al ., 2019b). In our previous study, where we reported the G6/7 genotype as being responsible for CE infection in livestock, the absence of the G1 genotype could have been a result of sample size limitation, as emphasized (Ohiolei et al ., 2019a).…”