Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes

Background: When and how to screen for strongyloidiasis in high-income countries remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, associated factors, and outcome of strongyloidiasis in Taiwan and proposed clinical criteria for serological screening. Methods: Adults who were i...

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Main Authors: Sung-Hsi Huang, Yen-Lin Chen, Hao-Yu Lin, Aristine Cheng, Lih-Yu Chang, Yi-Chia Huang, Po-Hsien Kuo, Yueh-Feng Wen, Chia-Jung Liu, Chia-Hao Chang, Wei-Shun Yang, Kai-Hsiang Chen, Pin-Ru Chu, Chi-Wei Tseng, Yi-Ching Su, Li-Hsin Su, Li-Ta Keng, Chi-Ying Lin, Un-In Wu, Hsin-Yun Sun, Yu-Tsung Huang, Hong-Ming Hsu, Chien-Ching Hung, Kua-Eyre Su
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893925000729
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author Sung-Hsi Huang
Yen-Lin Chen
Hao-Yu Lin
Aristine Cheng
Lih-Yu Chang
Yi-Chia Huang
Po-Hsien Kuo
Yueh-Feng Wen
Chia-Jung Liu
Chia-Hao Chang
Wei-Shun Yang
Kai-Hsiang Chen
Pin-Ru Chu
Chi-Wei Tseng
Yi-Ching Su
Li-Hsin Su
Li-Ta Keng
Chi-Ying Lin
Un-In Wu
Hsin-Yun Sun
Yu-Tsung Huang
Hong-Ming Hsu
Chien-Ching Hung
Kua-Eyre Su
author_facet Sung-Hsi Huang
Yen-Lin Chen
Hao-Yu Lin
Aristine Cheng
Lih-Yu Chang
Yi-Chia Huang
Po-Hsien Kuo
Yueh-Feng Wen
Chia-Jung Liu
Chia-Hao Chang
Wei-Shun Yang
Kai-Hsiang Chen
Pin-Ru Chu
Chi-Wei Tseng
Yi-Ching Su
Li-Hsin Su
Li-Ta Keng
Chi-Ying Lin
Un-In Wu
Hsin-Yun Sun
Yu-Tsung Huang
Hong-Ming Hsu
Chien-Ching Hung
Kua-Eyre Su
author_sort Sung-Hsi Huang
collection DOAJ
description Background: When and how to screen for strongyloidiasis in high-income countries remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, associated factors, and outcome of strongyloidiasis in Taiwan and proposed clinical criteria for serological screening. Methods: Adults who were immunocompromised or about to undergo iatrogenic immunosuppression (proactive-screening cohort) and those with clinical presentations suggesting strongyloidiasis (diagnosis-driven cohort) were prospectively enrolled at five hospitals in Taiwan. Serum anti-Strongyloides IgG was determined by two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Stool samples were obtained for microscopy and cultures. Prevalence of confirmed/probable strongyloidiasis, as defined by identification of characteristic larvae from stool or testing positive for both ELISAs, was calculated. Factors associated with strongyloidiasis were identified in multivariable analysis. Six-month mortality was compared between participants with and without strongyloidiasis using Cox proportional hazards model. Results: From January 2021 to June 2024, confirmed/probable cases of strongyloidiasis were identified in 1.9 % and 4.8 % of the participants in proactive-screening and diagnosis-driven cohorts, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that skin and skin structure infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.180), gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown causes (aOR 3.229), and hemoglobin <10 g/dl (aOR 4.300) were independently associated with strongyloidiasis. Six-month mortality was 33.3 % in participants with confirmed/probable strongyloidiasis, higher than that in those without strongyloidiasis (11.4 %), but not statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, and clinical severity (p = 0.09). Conclusions: Strongyloidiasis continued to occur among at-risk populations in Taiwan. Screening strategies are needed to improve the detection of this neglected parasitic infection in Taiwan and other high-income countries.
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spelling doaj-art-e6cfe0d072054ab098ec0614f376347a2025-08-20T02:39:21ZengElsevierTravel Medicine and Infectious Disease1873-04422025-07-016610286610.1016/j.tmaid.2025.102866Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomesSung-Hsi Huang0Yen-Lin Chen1Hao-Yu Lin2Aristine Cheng3Lih-Yu Chang4Yi-Chia Huang5Po-Hsien Kuo6Yueh-Feng Wen7Chia-Jung Liu8Chia-Hao Chang9Wei-Shun Yang10Kai-Hsiang Chen11Pin-Ru Chu12Chi-Wei Tseng13Yi-Ching Su14Li-Hsin Su15Li-Ta Keng16Chi-Ying Lin17Un-In Wu18Hsin-Yun Sun19Yu-Tsung Huang20Hong-Ming Hsu21Chien-Ching Hung22Kua-Eyre Su23Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for International Health, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, TaiwanBackground: When and how to screen for strongyloidiasis in high-income countries remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, associated factors, and outcome of strongyloidiasis in Taiwan and proposed clinical criteria for serological screening. Methods: Adults who were immunocompromised or about to undergo iatrogenic immunosuppression (proactive-screening cohort) and those with clinical presentations suggesting strongyloidiasis (diagnosis-driven cohort) were prospectively enrolled at five hospitals in Taiwan. Serum anti-Strongyloides IgG was determined by two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Stool samples were obtained for microscopy and cultures. Prevalence of confirmed/probable strongyloidiasis, as defined by identification of characteristic larvae from stool or testing positive for both ELISAs, was calculated. Factors associated with strongyloidiasis were identified in multivariable analysis. Six-month mortality was compared between participants with and without strongyloidiasis using Cox proportional hazards model. Results: From January 2021 to June 2024, confirmed/probable cases of strongyloidiasis were identified in 1.9 % and 4.8 % of the participants in proactive-screening and diagnosis-driven cohorts, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that skin and skin structure infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.180), gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown causes (aOR 3.229), and hemoglobin <10 g/dl (aOR 4.300) were independently associated with strongyloidiasis. Six-month mortality was 33.3 % in participants with confirmed/probable strongyloidiasis, higher than that in those without strongyloidiasis (11.4 %), but not statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, and clinical severity (p = 0.09). Conclusions: Strongyloidiasis continued to occur among at-risk populations in Taiwan. Screening strategies are needed to improve the detection of this neglected parasitic infection in Taiwan and other high-income countries.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893925000729Soil-transmitted parasiteNeglected tropical diseaseImmunosuppressionEosinophiliaEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
spellingShingle Sung-Hsi Huang
Yen-Lin Chen
Hao-Yu Lin
Aristine Cheng
Lih-Yu Chang
Yi-Chia Huang
Po-Hsien Kuo
Yueh-Feng Wen
Chia-Jung Liu
Chia-Hao Chang
Wei-Shun Yang
Kai-Hsiang Chen
Pin-Ru Chu
Chi-Wei Tseng
Yi-Ching Su
Li-Hsin Su
Li-Ta Keng
Chi-Ying Lin
Un-In Wu
Hsin-Yun Sun
Yu-Tsung Huang
Hong-Ming Hsu
Chien-Ching Hung
Kua-Eyre Su
Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Soil-transmitted parasite
Neglected tropical disease
Immunosuppression
Eosinophilia
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
title Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes
title_full Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes
title_fullStr Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes
title_full_unstemmed Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes
title_short Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes
title_sort screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in taiwan prevalence associated factors and outcomes
topic Soil-transmitted parasite
Neglected tropical disease
Immunosuppression
Eosinophilia
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893925000729
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