Distribution of helminth eggs in environmental and stool samples of farming households

Authors: Bethlehem kinfu Gurmassa, Sirak Robele Gari, Ephrem Tefera Solomon, Michaela L. Goodson, Claire L. Walsh, Bitew K. Dessie and Bezatu Mengistie Alemu 

Helminth infections are a public health issue in countries with poor sanitation facilities. However, there is little information on the epidemiological association between helminths in wastewater and soil samples and rates of helminth infection among farming households along the Akaki River in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In this cross-sectional study, 82.9% of wastewater samples, 57.1% of soil samples, and 18.6% of farmers' stool samples contained helminth eggs. The most prevalent helminth was Ascaris lumbricoides in all samples (wastewater 67%, soil 25%, and stool 10.5%), followed by hookworm (wastewater 10%, soil 21.4%, and stool 6.9%) and Trichuris trichiura eggs (wastewater 5.7%, soil 10.7%, and stool 1.2%). There was a positive association between the total number of helminth eggs in wastewater and soil samples with counts in farmers’ stool. The Poisson regression coefficients for wastewater and soil were, 1.63 (95% CI = 1.34–1.92) and 1.70 (95% CI = 1.39–2.01), (p < 0.05).

This research has shown a clear association between the total helminth eggs in wastewater and soil samples and farmer stools along the Akaki River. Therefore, an integrated approach is essential to address the issue in this area and prevent the spread of further helminth infections.