Seroprevalence of Porcine Cysticercosis in Ludewa District, Njombe, Tanzania

Justine Daudi Maganira,Norbet Ignas Hepelwa,Beda John Mwang’Onde

doi:10.4236/aid.2018.83014

Abstract

Small-scale subsistence farmers keep over 80% of the pigs in Tanzania as a backyard activity in mixed agro-ecological farming systems under unhygienic conditions that risk persistency of zoonoses including Taenia solium cysticercosis. Pig production and demand for pork has tremendously increased in Tanzanian townships and major cities. Rural areas are the main sources of pigs and pork and that the business is jeopardized by the presence of porcine cysticercosis (PC). Ludewa district is one of the PC unsurveyed sources of pork in townships and cities in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to assess the status of PC in Ludewa district, Tanzania. Auricular venous blood samples were collected from pigs in households for seroprevalence analysis of PC. In this study, 10.07% (95% C.I. 06.86% - 14.47%) of the collected 268 serum samples tested positive in the cysticercosis antigen enzyme-linked immune-sorbent (Ag ELISA) assay. PC infection rate was 10.71% (n = 24) in adult pigs and 6.82% (n = 3) in piglets. PC infection between adult pigs and piglets was not statistically significant (OR = 0.6108; 95% C.I. 0.1125 - 2.1575), p = 0.5877). The highest and lowest number of PC positive cases were detected in Mapogoro (n = 16, 13.91%, 95% C.I. 8.41 - 21.91) and Ludewa Mjini (n = 6, 6.67%, 95% C.I. 2.74 - 14.50) villages respectively. The Chi-Square test indicated no significant statistical difference in the status of PC infection between the three villages (p = 0.1881) involved in this study. PC prevalence in the study area indicates the presence of T. solium tapeworm human carriers and environmental contamination by T. solium eggs. This is the first survey to reveal the prevalence of PC in Ludewa district and therefore calls for further studies on the magnitude, economic and public health impacts of taeniasis and cysticercosis in the human population. The result of this study is also important in the determination of effective control measures of cysticercosis.

Highlights

For many reasons, there is limited information on the burden of Taenia solium cysticercosis, a zoonotic disease between man and pigs, in endemic regions
This study reports for the first time the persistence and prevalence of PC in Ludewa district, Tanzania
Two hundred sixty eight (268) serum samples from rural pigs in three villages were used for qualitative analysis of PC prevalence in Ludewa district in Njombe region located in the southern highlands in Tanzania

Summary

Introduction

There is limited information on the burden of Taenia solium cysticercosis, a zoonotic disease between man and pigs, in endemic regions. Pigs contract cysticercosis following ingestion of feed-stuff or water or human faeces containing T. solium eggs from pork tapeworm carriers or ingestion of the eggs from contaminated environmental soils [10] [11]. With this route of transmission, infection by the larval form of T. solium spares neither ethnic nor religious group [12] [13]. Because of globalization and worldwide tourism, like Catholics: the Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Seventh-Day Adventists and vegeterians are all at risk of infection by the larval form of T. solium

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