Seroepidemiology of human toxocariasis in selected population groups in Slovakia: A cross-sectional study

Fecková, Miroslava; Antolová, Daniela; Zaleśny, Grzegorz; Halánová, Monika; Štrkolcová, Gabriela; Goldová, M.; Weissová, T.; Lukáč, Branislav; Nováková, Mária

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2020.04.006

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Our results signify that, in fact, one-third of the minority children (33.33%) and adults (32.00%) are affected by this zoonosis regardless of the presence or absence of clinical symptoms. These findings are comparable with the results of similar seroepidemiologic studies among the Roma minority groups in Slovakia [5,8], which testify that the problem is relevant in other Eastern European countries as ours.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

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High Seroprevalence for Toxocariasis Among Minority Groups of Varna Region, Bulgaria

Cvetkova¹,

Stoyanova²,

Paunov³

2021

JofIMAB

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Toxocariasis in humans is a little-studied zoonosis, and there are no data on the impact of this parasitosis on the minority groups in our country. The purpose of this study is to establish the seroprevalence of toxocariasis among ethnic groups in the Varna region, North-eastern Bulgaria, and compare the results with a control group from the general population. Material/Methods: As a part of a large seroepidemiologic study, we assessed the presence of Toxocara IgG among 132 individuals, self-identified with Turkish and Roma ethnicities. As a control group, we used 250 sera from children and adults from a control group. The statistical comparison was performed regarding age, sex, and type of residence. Results: Toxocara IgG were established in 43 individuals from the minority groups (seroprevalence of 32.58%) and 39 persons in the control group (15.60%) with а statistically significant difference (odds ratio = 2.61). Considerably high seropositivity in the investigated ethnicities was discovered after separating by age: children-33.33%; adults-32.00% and gender: male-38.98%; female-27.40%. A detailed analysis revealed that the type of settlement is an important confounding factor. The seropositivity among the minority ethnic groups residing in small towns and villages is 35,40%, in contrast to the residents of Varna city of the same ethnical origin (15.79%); OR = 2.92. Conclusion: The established high seroprevalence for Toxocara IgG among minority ethnic groups, especially those residing in the rural settlements of North-eastern Bulgaria, shows undiscovered to this point increased risk for the spread of toxocariasis among this population.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…High levels of infection (32%) are registered in poor Andean communities of Peru [7]. Surveys among the Roma population group in Slovakia found a seroprevalence of 22.1% [5] and alarmingly high levels (40.3%) in children of this ethnic group [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Seroprevalence for Toxocariasis Among Minority Groups of Varna Region, Bulgaria

Cvetkova¹,

Stoyanova²,

Paunov³

2021

JofIMAB

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“…Increasing age (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.512, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.477–4.271) and the lack of household hygiene facilities (OR 2.512, 95% CI 1.477–4.271) were both strong risk factors for seropositivity [ 26 ]. In another Slovakian study, prevalence among Roma children ( n = 67) was 40.3 per cent vs. 2.3 per cent among non-Roma children ( n = 44) [ 34 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Notwithstanding the instances mentioned above, Roma have a higher occurrence of communicable diseases than non-Roma. The most common reasons hypothesised by authors for the higher rates of disease are lack of water, poor sanitation and hygiene, crowded living spaces, high-risk sexual behaviours, and exposure to animals and waste [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roma Health: An Overview of Communicable Diseases in Eastern and Central Europe

Tombat

Dijk

2020

IJERPH

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The Roma are Europe’s largest minority. They are also one of its most disadvantaged, with low levels of education and health and high levels of poverty. Research on Roma health often reveals higher burdens of disease in the communities studied. This paper aims to review the literature on communicable diseases among Roma across Eastern and Central Europe. A PubMed search was carried out for communicable diseases among Roma in these parts of Europe, specifically in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and North Macedonia. The papers were then screened for relevance and utility. Nineteen papers were selected for review; most of them from Slovakia. Roma continue to have a higher prevalence of communicable diseases and are at higher risk of infection than the majority populations of the countries they live in. Roma children in particular have a particularly high prevalence of parasitic disease. However, these differences in disease prevalence are not present across all diseases and all populations. For example, when Roma are compared to non-Roma living in close proximity to them, these differences are often no longer significant.

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“…Female gender, living in rural areas, everyday contact with soil and frequent outdoor activities increased the risk of infection. 21…”

Section: Microsporidiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasitic zoonoses in the Roma population

Bajkovec¹,

Vilibić-Čavlek²,

Barbić³

et al. 2021

Germs

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Roma people are the largest minority group in Europe. The vast majority live in substandard conditions in segregated settlements, overcrowded with people and animals that predispose them to various, especially zoonotic diseases. Parasitic zoonotic diseases remain a challenge in this vulnerable population group, especially among Roma children. PubMed was searched using the keywords Roma with combination of names of different parasites to get all available studies on prevalence of parasitic zoonoses among European Roma, published between years 2000 and 2020. After application of exclusion criteria, data were extracted from the studies that made the final sample. Parasitic zoonoses are common among Roma. Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma gondii, soiltransmitted helminths and Giardia spp. are more common in Roma children compared to non-Roma children, and Toxoplasma gondii and soil-transmitted helminths are also more common in Roma adults compared to non-Roma adults. Data on prevalence of trichinellosis, echinococcosis, and taeniasis among Roma show that they do not affect Roma more often compared to the general population. Roma people, particularly children, are more susceptible to parasitic zoonoses. Substandard sanitary conditions and close contact with infected animals are important risk factors in this population and should be aimed with preventive measures. Keywords Zoonosis, Roma population, Europe, parasitic diseases, protozoan parasites, helminths Introduction1 Zoonotic diseases encompass a wide range of pathogens and modes of transmission. Pathogens that can cause zoonoses include viruses, bacteria and parasites. The transmission mainly occurs

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Seroepidemiology of human toxocariasis in selected population groups in Slovakia: A cross-sectional study

Cited by 12 publications

References 35 publications

High Seroprevalence for Toxocariasis Among Minority Groups of Varna Region, Bulgaria

High Seroprevalence for Toxocariasis Among Minority Groups of Varna Region, Bulgaria

Roma Health: An Overview of Communicable Diseases in Eastern and Central Europe

Parasitic zoonoses in the Roma population

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