The cost of a school based mass treatment of schistosomiasis in Ugu District, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa in 2012

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Potential hybridization of Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica in Africa

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS : TABLE S1: Summary of African studies reporting on the presence of Fasciola species recovered from various definitive hosts. TABLE S2: The distribution and occurrence of Fasciola species in Africa based on studies conducted from 1980–2022. TABLE S3: Summary of African studies reporting on the occurrence of Fasciola species in their snail intermediate hosts. TABLE S4: Summary of studies reporting on the occurrence of intermediate hosts of Fasciola spp. in Africa. References [140–317] are cited in the supplementary materials.The occurrence of Fasciola gigantica and F. hepatica in Africa is well documented; however, unlike in Asia, there is a paucity of information on the existence of hybrids or parthenogenetic species on the continent. Nonetheless, these hybrid species may have beneficial characteristics, such as increased host range and pathogenicity. This study provides evidence of the potential existence of Fasciola hybrids in Africa. A literature search of articles published between 1980 and 2022 was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct using a combination of search terms and Boolean operators. Fasciola species were documented in 26 African countries with F. hepatica being restricted to 12 countries, whilst F. gigantica occurred in 24 countries, identified based on morphological features of adult Fasciola specimens or eggs and molecular techniques. The cooccurrence of both species was reported in 11 countries. However, the occurrence of potential Fasciola hybrids was only confirmed in Egypt and Chad but is suspected in South Africa and Zimbabwe. These were identified based on liver fluke morphometrics, assessment of the sperms in the seminal vesicle, and molecular techniques. The occurrence of intermediate host snails Galba truncatula and Radix natalensis was reported in Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, where F. hepatica and F. gigantica co-occurrences were reported. The invasive Pseudosuccinea columella snails naturally infected with F. gigantica were documented in South Africa and Egypt. In Zimbabwe, P. columella was infected with a presumed parthenogenetic Fasciola. This suggests that the invasive species might also be contributing to the overlapping distributions of the two Fasciola species since it can transmit both species. Notwithstanding the limited studies in Africa, the potential existence of Fasciola hybrids in Africa is real and might mimic scenarios in Asia, where parthenogenetic Fasciola exist in most Asian countries. In South Africa, aspermic F. hepatica and Fasciola sp. have been reported already, and Fasciola hybrids have been reported? in Chad and Egypt. Thus, the authors recommend future surveys using molecular markers recommended to identify Fasciola spp. and their snail intermediate hosts to demarcate areas of overlapping distribution where Fasciola hybrids and/or parthenogenetic Fasciola may occur. Further studies should also be conducted to determine the presence and role of P. columella in the transmission of Fasciola spp. in these geographical overlaps to help prevent parasite spillbacks.The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, the Knud Højgaards Foundation for its support to The Research Platform for Disease Ecology, Health and Climate.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogensam2023Veterinary Tropical Disease

The Association Between Female Genital Schistosomiasis and Other Infections of the Lower Genital Tract in Adolescent Girls and Young Women: A Cross-Sectional Study in South Africa

This study aimed to explore the relationship between female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), sexually transmitted infections, bacterial vaginosis, and yeast among young women living in Schistosoma haematobium-endemic areas. In a cross-sectional study of young women, sexually active, aged 16 to 22 years in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 32 randomly selected rural schools in schistosomiasis-endemic areas, the authors performed gynecological and laboratory investigations, diagnosed FGS and other infections, and did face-to-face interviews.publishedVersio

Evaluating diagnostic indicators of urogenital Schistosoma haematobium infection in young women: A cross sectional study in rural South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Urine microscopy is the standard diagnostic method for urogenital S. haematobium infection. However, this may lead to under-diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis, as the disease may present itself with genital symptoms in the absence of ova in the urine. Currently there is no single reliable and affordable diagnostic method to diagnose the full spectrum of urogenital S. haematobium infection. In this study we explore the classic indicators in the diagnosis of urogenital S. haematobium infection, with focus on young women. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 1237 sexually active young women in rural South Africa, we assessed four diagnostic indicators of urogenital S. haematobium infection: microscopy of urine, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of cervicovaginal lavage (CVL), urogenital symptoms, and sandy patches detected clinically in combination with computerised image analysis of photocolposcopic images. We estimated the accuracy of these diagnostic indicators through the following analyses: 1) cross tabulation (assumed empirical gold standard) of the tests against the combined findings of sandy patches and/or computerized image analysis and 2) a latent class model of the four indicators without assuming any gold standard. RESULTS: The empirical approach showed that urine microscopy had a sensitivity of 34.7% and specificity of 75.2% while the latent class analysis approach (LCA) suggested a sensitivity of 81.0% and specificity of 85.6%. The empirical approach and LCA showed that Schistosoma PCR in CVL had low sensitivity (14.1% and 52.4%, respectively) and high specificity (93.0% and 98.0, respectively). Using LCA, the presence of sandy patches showed a sensitivity of 81.6 and specificity of 42.4%. The empirical approach and LCA showed that urogenital symptoms had a high sensitivity (89.4% and 100.0%, respectively), whereas specificity was low (10.6% and 12.3%, respectively). CONCLUSION: All the diagnostic indicators used in the study had limited accuracy. Using urine microscopy or Schistosoma PCR in CVL would only confirm a fraction of the sandy patches found by colposcopic examination

Mapping Schistosoma haematobium for Novel Interventions against Female Genital Schistosomiasis and Associated HIV Risk in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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The cost of a school based mass treatment of schistosomiasis in Ugu District, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa in 2012

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