Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran

Introduction: Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) and toxocariasis caused by the larval stages of intestinal dog worms including Echinococcus granulosus and Toxocara spp. are among the most widespread zoonotic diseases. Methodology: Four hundred municipal waste collectors were serologically evaluated for...

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Main Authors: Molouk Beiromvand, Abdollah Rafiei, Mehdi Tavalla, Roya Daneshbakhtyar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2019-02-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/10614
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author Molouk Beiromvand
Abdollah Rafiei
Mehdi Tavalla
Roya Daneshbakhtyar
author_facet Molouk Beiromvand
Abdollah Rafiei
Mehdi Tavalla
Roya Daneshbakhtyar
author_sort Molouk Beiromvand
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) and toxocariasis caused by the larval stages of intestinal dog worms including Echinococcus granulosus and Toxocara spp. are among the most widespread zoonotic diseases. Methodology: Four hundred municipal waste collectors were serologically evaluated for CE and toxocariasis. To identify the seropositive cases of CE, an ELISA test was performed using native AgB. Toxocara IgG detection was carried out using ELISA DRG kit (USA), and the seropositive cases were then examined by a Western blot kit (LDBIO, France) to confirm the positive ELISA results. Results: 15 (3.7%) workers were seropositive for CE according to the ELISA. A significant relationship was observed between being seropositive and having contact with soil and dogs. No significant correlations were observed between education and the prevalence of these diseases. Of the 15 seropositive workers for CE, ten worked in district 5 of Ahvaz. Toxocara IgG was identified in 11 (2.7%) cases using the ELISA; however, none of them were confirmed by Western blotting. Conclusion: The 3.7% rate of seroprevalence for CE in asymptomatic municipal waste collectors living in urban regions of Ahvaz suggests a high rate. The higher rate of infection among workers in district 5 is likely associated with the presence of stray and owned dogs in that area of the city. A prolonged exposure to contaminated soil, the lack of awareness about the risk of diseases that can be transmitted through waste and the lack of general availability of suitable personal protective equipment for waste collectors might cause infectious diseases.
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institution Kabale University
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publisher The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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spelling doaj-art-3dffc88a98c745f1b64ce886b1da4f3f2025-08-20T03:52:42ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802019-02-01130210.3855/jidc.10614Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern IranMolouk Beiromvand0Abdollah Rafiei1Mehdi Tavalla2Roya Daneshbakhtyar3Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranInfectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranInfectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranDepartment of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran Introduction: Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) and toxocariasis caused by the larval stages of intestinal dog worms including Echinococcus granulosus and Toxocara spp. are among the most widespread zoonotic diseases. Methodology: Four hundred municipal waste collectors were serologically evaluated for CE and toxocariasis. To identify the seropositive cases of CE, an ELISA test was performed using native AgB. Toxocara IgG detection was carried out using ELISA DRG kit (USA), and the seropositive cases were then examined by a Western blot kit (LDBIO, France) to confirm the positive ELISA results. Results: 15 (3.7%) workers were seropositive for CE according to the ELISA. A significant relationship was observed between being seropositive and having contact with soil and dogs. No significant correlations were observed between education and the prevalence of these diseases. Of the 15 seropositive workers for CE, ten worked in district 5 of Ahvaz. Toxocara IgG was identified in 11 (2.7%) cases using the ELISA; however, none of them were confirmed by Western blotting. Conclusion: The 3.7% rate of seroprevalence for CE in asymptomatic municipal waste collectors living in urban regions of Ahvaz suggests a high rate. The higher rate of infection among workers in district 5 is likely associated with the presence of stray and owned dogs in that area of the city. A prolonged exposure to contaminated soil, the lack of awareness about the risk of diseases that can be transmitted through waste and the lack of general availability of suitable personal protective equipment for waste collectors might cause infectious diseases. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/10614Municipal waste collectorscystic echinococcosistoxocariasisELISAWestern blottingIran
spellingShingle Molouk Beiromvand
Abdollah Rafiei
Mehdi Tavalla
Roya Daneshbakhtyar
Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Municipal waste collectors
cystic echinococcosis
toxocariasis
ELISA
Western blotting
Iran
title Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran
title_full Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran
title_fullStr Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran
title_full_unstemmed Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran
title_short Screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern Iran
title_sort screening municipal waste collectors for cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in southwestern iran
topic Municipal waste collectors
cystic echinococcosis
toxocariasis
ELISA
Western blotting
Iran
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/10614
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