Seroprevalence of Human Taenia solium cysticercosis and its associated factors in villages of Kongwa and Songwe Districts of Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis is a serious public health and economic problem in many low—and middle-income countries. Tanzania is among the sub-Saharan African countries endemic for porcine cysticercosis, which increases the risk of human taeniasis and, eventually, human cysticercosis. This study was performed to estimate the seroprevalence of human T. solium cysticercosis and its associated factors in villages of Kongwa and Songwe Districts of Tanzania.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June and September 2019 in 42 villages of Kongwa and Songwe Districts. It involved 872 participants, of which 593 and 279 were from Kongwa and Songwe Districts, respectively. All participants were randomly selected from participating villages. Blood samples were collected from all selected participants and tested for human T. solium cysticercosis using Ag-ELISA and Wb-Ab assay. Structured questionnaires were administered, followed by direct observations of the study population to investigate factors associated with parasite transmission. Univariate logistic regression model was used to estimate factors associated with seroprevalence of human cysticercosis.
Results: Of the 872 human sera examined by Ag-ELISA, 12 (1.4%) participants were detected with active T. solium cysticercosis. Among the actively infected cases, 7(1.2%) and 5(1.8%) of the detected cases were from Kongwa and Songwe Districts, respectively. Furthermore, the results obtained also indicated the considerable variation of T. solium cysticercosis seropositivity across various factors. However, participants who were 45 years of age and above were more likely to be infected with T. solium cysticercosis than other age groups (OR=5.9, 95% C. I. 1.37-5.49, p = 0.001).
Conclusions: Human T. solium cysticercosis is still a public health problem in Kongwa and Songwe District. Being above 45 was a significant determinant of acquiring the infection. However, more work is required to understand other factors contributing to the transmission dynamics of T. solium in endemic rural areas. Therefore, appropriate interventions, including health education for the at-risk population, should be implemented for sustainable control.