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Distribution and clustering of Oesophagostomum bifurcum and hookworm infections in Northern Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2006

J. B. ZIEM
Affiliation:
Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Parasitology, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.O. Box TL1883, Tamale, Ghana
A. OLSEN
Affiliation:
DBL-Institute for Health Research and Development, Jaegersborg Alle 1 D, DK-2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark
P. MAGNUSSEN
Affiliation:
DBL-Institute for Health Research and Development, Jaegersborg Alle 1 D, DK-2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark
J. HORTON
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Liverpool University, Liverpool L69 3GE, UK
E. AGONGO
Affiliation:
Ghana Health Service, P.O. Box 298, Wa U.W.R., Ghana
R. B. GESKUS
Affiliation:
Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics P.O. Box 9604, 2300 RC and Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A. M. POLDERMAN
Affiliation:
Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Parasitology, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands

Abstract

Human Oesophagostomum infections are locally common in northern Ghana. The present study describes the results of a cross-sectional survey involving 1011 subjects, selected by a compound-based random sampling method from 1227 compounds in 24 villages. Selected persons were examined by both Kato and coproculture methods. Hookworm-like eggs, representing ova of Oesophagostomum bifurcum and hookworm were detected in 87·5% of the Kato smears. The geometric mean egg count of the infected subjects was 1018. Upon coproculture, third-stage larvae of O. bifurcum and hookworm were detected in 53·0% and 86·9% of subjects respectively. Oesophagostomum infections were clustered but no clear explanation for aggregation of infections could be found as yet. Subjects infected with hookworm had a 5-fold higher risk of being infected with O. bifurcum. Infection rates in adult women were higher than in adult men. No association was found with family size, level of hygiene or with the presence of animals in the compounds. Representatives of the Bimoba-tribe were significantly more infected than those of the other tribes. It appears, however, that this tribal association is a geographical phenomenon: Bimoba are mostly living in villages with the highest infection rates.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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