TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluating the Role of Corrals and Insects in the Transmission of Porcine Cysticercosis
T2 - A Cohort Study
AU - on behalf of the Cysticercosis Working Group in Peru
AU - Gonzales-Gustavson, Eloy
AU - Pray, Ian W.
AU - Gamboa, Ricardo
AU - Muro, Claudio
AU - Vilchez, Percy
AU - Gomez-Puerta, Luis
AU - Vargas-Calla, Ana
AU - Bonnet, Gabrielle
AU - Pizzitutti, Francesco
AU - Garcia, Hector H.
AU - Gonzalez, Armando E.
AU - O’Neal, Seth E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - The widespread dispersion of pigs infected with cysticercosis across endemic villages, low cyst burden among infected pigs, and low prevalence of taeniasis all suggest that pig ingestion of human feces is not the only mode of transmission for Taenia solium. Our objective was to evaluate the risk of porcine cysticercosis associated with exposure to human feces, dung beetles, and flies in an endemic community setting. We used a cluster-randomized cohort design to compare the risk of developing antibodies and infection among 120 piglets raised in either free-roaming (FR), standard corral (SC), or netted corral environments (NC). We collected monthly blood samples to detect serum antibodies and necropsied all pigs after 10 months to identify cysts. A total of 66 piglets developed antibodies with the relative risk of seropositivity in FR vs. all corralled pigs increasing significantly after 18 weeks. Of 108 necropsied pigs, 15 had T. solium cysts, all belonging to the FR group. Corrals were protective against infection but less so against seropositivity. NC, which did not completely exclude insects, did not provide added protection against seropositivity as compared to SC. The results of this study suggest that dung beetles and flies do not play an important role in infection.
AB - The widespread dispersion of pigs infected with cysticercosis across endemic villages, low cyst burden among infected pigs, and low prevalence of taeniasis all suggest that pig ingestion of human feces is not the only mode of transmission for Taenia solium. Our objective was to evaluate the risk of porcine cysticercosis associated with exposure to human feces, dung beetles, and flies in an endemic community setting. We used a cluster-randomized cohort design to compare the risk of developing antibodies and infection among 120 piglets raised in either free-roaming (FR), standard corral (SC), or netted corral environments (NC). We collected monthly blood samples to detect serum antibodies and necropsied all pigs after 10 months to identify cysts. A total of 66 piglets developed antibodies with the relative risk of seropositivity in FR vs. all corralled pigs increasing significantly after 18 weeks. Of 108 necropsied pigs, 15 had T. solium cysts, all belonging to the FR group. Corrals were protective against infection but less so against seropositivity. NC, which did not completely exclude insects, did not provide added protection against seropositivity as compared to SC. The results of this study suggest that dung beetles and flies do not play an important role in infection.
KW - cohort
KW - corrals
KW - free roaming
KW - insects
KW - porcine cysticercosis
KW - seroincidence
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U2 - 10.3390/pathogens12040597
DO - 10.3390/pathogens12040597
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85156156363
SN - 2076-0817
VL - 12
JO - Pathogens
JF - Pathogens
IS - 4
M1 - 597
ER -