An update of intestinal helminth infections among urban slum communities in Bangladesh

Tilak Chandra Nath; Keeseon S Eom; Seongjun Choe; Mandira Mukutmoni; Hamida Khanum; Jamal Uddin Bhuiyan; Kazi Mehetazul Islam; Saiful Islam; Fatematuz Zohra; Hansol Park; Dongmin Lee

doi:10.1016/j.ijregi.2022.08.004

An update of intestinal helminth infections among urban slum communities in Bangladesh

IJID Reg. 2022 Aug 18:5:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2022.08.004. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Tilak Chandra Nath^{1

2}, Keeseon S Eom^{2

3}, Seongjun Choe³, Mandira Mukutmoni⁴, Hamida Khanum⁴, Jamal Uddin Bhuiyan¹, Kazi Mehetazul Islam¹, Saiful Islam¹, Fatematuz Zohra⁵, Hansol Park², Dongmin Lee^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Parasitology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
² International Parasite Resource Bank, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea.
³ Department of Parasitology and Parasite Research Centre, School of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea.
⁴ Department of Zoology, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
⁵ Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Khulshi, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Aim: To assess the prevalence of intestinal helminth infections and associated risk factors among people living in urban slums in Bangladesh.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across three clusters: Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram. In total, 360 individuals divided into two groups (school-aged children and adults) provided stool samples and completed a semi-structured questionnaire. Parasitological assessment was performed using the formol-ether concentration technique.

Results: Overall, 31.7% (114/360) of participants had helminthiasis, with 13.3% (48/360) having mixed infections. Among the infected participants, school-aged children had a higher rate of infection (41.7%, 75/180) compared with adults (21.7%, 39/180). Ascaris lumbricoides was the predominant parasite, followed by hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, Hymenolepis nana, Enterobius vermicularis and Rhabditis sp. Parasitic infections were significantly associated with type of latrine used, direct exposure to soil, open defaecation, and presence of free-roaming animals.

Conclusion: Despite continuous efforts to control helminthiasis, a substantial proportion of the study participants were infected with intestinal helminths. Ignorance of the roles of the environment and animals was influential, and had a negative impact on existing control interventions. An integrated public health and veterinary public health approach is required for sustainable control of intestinal helminthiasis.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Helminthiasis; Risk factors; Urban slums.