A scoping review and prevalence analysis of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Honduras

Autor: José Antonio Gabrie, María Mercedes Rueda, Ana Sanchez, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Rosa E Mejía, Maritza Canales
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 8, Iss 1, p e2653 (2014)
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
ISSN: 1935-2735
1935-2727
Popis: Background Honduras is endemic for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, but critical information gaps still remain on the prevalence and intensity of these infections as well as on their spatial distribution at subnational levels. Objectives Firstly, to review the research activity on STH infections in Honduras and secondly, to carry out a national prevalence analysis and map the geographical distribution of these infections in children. Methods A systematic search was conducted of the published and grey literature to identify scientific work on the impact and prevalence of STH infections done between May 1930 and June 30, 2012. International databases and Honduran journals were searched. Grey literature was gleaned from local libraries and key informants. Select studies conducted between 2001 and 2012 were used to produce prevalence maps and to investigate association between STH prevalence and socio-economic and environmental factors. Results Of 257 identified studies, 211 (21.4% peer-reviewed) were retained for analysis and categorized as clinical research (10.9%), treatment efficacy studies (8.1%) or epidemiological studies (81%). Prevalence analysis and geographical mapping included 36 epidemiological studies from Honduras's 18 departments and 23% of its municipalities. Overall STH prevalence was >50% in 40.6% of municipalities. Prevalences above 20% for each trichuriasis, ascariasis, and hookworm infection were found in 68%, 47.8%, and 7.2% of studied municipalities, respectively. Municipalities with lower human development index, less access to of potable water, and with higher annual precipitation showed higher STH prevalences. Conclusions This is the first study to provide a comprehensive historic review of STH research activity and prevalence in Honduras, revealing important knowledge gaps related to infection risk factors, disease burden, and anti-parasitic drug efficacy, among others. Our decade-long prevalence analysis reveals geographical differences in STH prevalence and these findings suggest that differential intervention strategies might be necessary in Honduras for the control of these infections.
Author Summary Soil-transmitted helminthiases are infections of public health importance in Honduras. Although research data on this topic in the country is somewhat inconsistent and scattered, a wealth of information has been produced by Honduran researchers and practitioners over the years. The vast majority of this information, however, remains inaccessible in the gray literature, thus missing its potential to inform research, policy, and practice. We undertook a thorough review of the literature produced from 1930 to 2012 in order to identify research gaps and, based on a select number of studies, conducted a prevalence analysis with data generated between 2001 and 2012. Our study reveals that these parasitic infections have not been a focus of sustained research efforts in Honduras. Literature analysis identified current knowledge gaps related to infection risk factors, disease burden, and anti-parasitic drug efficacy, among others. Evaluating and monitoring the national control program also emerged as a priority. Our study also reveals geographic areas of very high endemicity, suggesting that targeted interventions might be appropriate in localized areas of the country. Honduras is at present expanding the deworming program to include pre-school children and the data presented here could serve as a baseline for future monitoring and research.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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