Risk factors associated with taeniosis-cysticercosis in rural farming communities in Gauteng Province, South Africa.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine which of the livestock management and human practices known to be risk factors associated with taeniosis-cysticercosis occur in Gauteng Province. A questionnaire survey was conducted in two regions of Gauteng Province, Germiston and Pretoria. Results revealed that almost 20% of the interviewed farmers do not have toilets, most of them let their animals roam freely during the day for grazing and scavenging, and 47% use streams as the water source for their animals. This may create an infection opportunity through ingestion of Taenia-contaminated herbage or water. Furthermore, 26% mentioned that their animals might have access to human excreta. More than 70% of farmers in the province slaughter cattle and pigs for their own consumption without inspecting meat for cysticercosis. Only a few of the interviewed farmers in both regions were aware of the taeniosis-cysticercosis complex. Backyard slaughtering, consumption of uninspected meat by the public, poor livestock management, and limited sanitation in rural communities of Gauteng Province are identified as risk factors associated with the occurrence of Taenia saginata and Taenia solium infections in the province. Taenia saginata and T. solium are considered to have a global distribution; therefore, these risk factors may be applicable globally, not just in Gauteng Province. Programs on public awareness with regard to transmission and prevention of Taenia infections as well as more detailed studies on risk factors of taeniosis-cysticercosis are recommended.