Abstract
Simple SummaryThe review was conducted to establish an overview of rodent helminths in the Middle East as well as their public health importance. Following a systematic search, 65 field research were identified, studied, and analyzed. The overall prevalence of cestodes, nematodes, and trematodes were 24.88%, 32.71%, and 10.17%, respectively. The review detected 21 species of cestodes, 56 nematodes, and 23 trematodes, from which 22 have zoonotic importance. Capillaria hepatica, Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, and Cysticercus fasciolaris were the most frequent and widespread zoonotic helminths. The review identified that there is an information gap on rodent helminths at the humans-animal interface level in this region. Therefore, the public health importance of rodent-borne helminth parasites is not fully recognized. Countrywide detailed studies on rodent helminths, along with the impact on public health, should be conducted in this region.Rodents can be a source of zoonotic helminths in the Middle East and also in other parts of the world. The current systematic review aimed to provide baseline data on rodent helminths to recognize the threats of helminth parasites on public health in the Middle East region. Following a systematic search on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, a total of 65 research studies on rodent cestodes, nematodes, and trematodes, which were conducted in the countries of the Middle East, were analyzed. The study identified 44 rodent species from which Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus rattus were most common (63%) and recognized as the primary rodent hosts for helminth infestation in this region. Cestodes were the most frequently reported (n = 50), followed by nematodes (49), and trematodes (14). The random effect meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of cestode (57.66%, 95%CI: 34.63–80.70, l2% = 85.6, p < 0.001) was higher in Saudi Arabia, followed by nematode (56.24%, 95%CI: 11.40–101.1, l2% = 96.7, p < 0.001) in Turkey, and trematode (15.83%, 95%CI: 6.25–25.1, l2% = 98.5, p < 0.001) in Egypt. According to the overall prevalence estimates of individual studies, nematodes were higher (32.71%, 95%CI: 24.89–40.54, l2% = 98.6, p < 0.001) followed by cestodes (24.88%, 95%CI: 19.99–29.77, l2% = 94.9, p < 0.001) and trematodes (10.17%, 95%CI: 6.7–13.65, l2% = 98.3, p < 0.001) in the rodents of the Middle East countries. The review detected 22 species of helminths, which have zoonotic importance. The most frequent helminths were Capillaria hepatica, Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, and Cysticercus fasciolaris. There was no report of rodent-helminths from Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Furthermore, there is an information gap on rodent helminths at the humans-animal interface level in Middle East countries. Through the One Health approach and countrywide detailed studies on rodent-related helminths along with their impact on public health, the rodent control program should be conducted in this region.
Highlights
Helminths are among the most diverse and geographically widespread groups of parasites that infect both humans and animals [1]
The analysis identified Acomys dimidiatus, Jaculus jaculus, Meriones crassus, Mus musculus, and Rattus norvegicus, Rattus ratus were widely distributed as these rodents were reported from where Mus musculus (n = 1251, 12.6%), Rattus norvegicus (n = 3325, 33.6%), and Rattus rattus (n = 1694, 17.1%) as the most common
The random effect meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of cestode ranged from 12.87% in Turkey to 57.66% in Saudi Arabia
Summary
Helminths are among the most diverse and geographically widespread groups of parasites that infect both humans and animals [1]. They are from different phyla or class (nematode, cestode, and trematode), the mode of transmission, infection, and pathogenesis, as well as host immune-responsiveness of these pathogens, follows a typical pattern. From amongst 300,000 species of helminths that typically infect vertebrates, 287 of them infect humans, from which 95% are either zoonoses or have evolved from animal parasites [2]. Based on the burden of death, sickness, and treatment cost for both humans and animals for helminth infestation, the zoonotic parasites’ socioeconomic burden was presented as high or low socioeconomic impact [3]
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