Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40489548›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2025

Prevalence of scabies and bacterial skin infection in French Polynesia: A cross-sectional community survey.

Georgia R Walker, Susanna J Lake, Matthew G Parnaby, Tereva Reneteaud, Mihiau Mapotoeke, Romain P Marmorat, Raihei H White, Sarah Andersson, John M Kaldor, Jean-Marc Segalin and 3 more

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Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Georgia R WalkerMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID 0009-0003-1188-1624
Susanna J LakeMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Matthew G ParnabyMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Tereva ReneteaudOffice of Health Surveillance and Response, Agence de Régulation de l'Action Sanitaire et Sociale (Regulatory Agency for Health and Social Action), Papeete, French Polynesia.
Mihiau MapotoekeOffice of Health Surveillance and Response, Agence de Régulation de l'Action Sanitaire et Sociale (Regulatory Agency for Health and Social Action), Papeete, French Polynesia.
Romain P MarmoratOffice of Health Surveillance and Response, Agence de Régulation de l'Action Sanitaire et Sociale (Regulatory Agency for Health and Social Action), Papeete, French Polynesia.
Raihei H WhiteOffice of Health Surveillance and Response, Agence de Régulation de l'Action Sanitaire et Sociale (Regulatory Agency for Health and Social Action), Papeete, French Polynesia.
Sarah AnderssonMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
John M KaldorKirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Jean-Marc SegalinRheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Centre, Department of Health, Pirae, French Polynesia.
Henri-Pierre MalletOffice of Health Surveillance and Response, Agence de Régulation de l'Action Sanitaire et Sociale (Regulatory Agency for Health and Social Action), Papeete, French Polynesia.
Andrew C SteerMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Andre L WattiauxOffice of Health Surveillance and Response, Agence de Régulation de l'Action Sanitaire et Sociale (Regulatory Agency for Health and Social Action), Papeete, French Polynesia.ORCID 0009-0000-2527-5420

Funding

Fonds Pacifiques (French Embassy AustraliaMacquarie Group FoundationNational Health and Medical Research Centre of Australia
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe prevalence of scabies and impetigo is high in several Pacific Island countries and has led to the implementation of mass drug administration control strategies. Anecdotal clinical reports have suggested similarly high burdens of scabies and bacterial skin infection in French Polynesia, but formal prevalence data have been lacking. We aimed to determine the prevalence of scabies and bacterial skin infection in French Polynesia's two most populated islands: Tahiti and Mo'orea.

methodsWe conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey. Our study was pragmatically restricted to the main islands of Tahiti and Mo'orea, where we selected households using two-stage randomisation from 20 first-stage neighbourhoods. All individuals present in the home were invited to participate. Four nurses and one doctor conducted skin examinations using validated simplified diagnostic criteria to diagnose scabies, informed by the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies 2020 diagnostic criteria.

resultsAmong 1770 participants, scabies prevalence was 11.9% and was highest among children aged <5 years (31.8%, RR 5.7, 95% CI 3.8 - 8.6, compared to ≥55 years). The overall bacterial skin infection prevalence was 5.5%. Participants with scabies had a 10-fold higher risk of bacterial skin infection compared to those without (26.8% vs 2.7%, RR 10.2, 95% CI 7.5-13.8). Written consent was obtained for all 1770 participants.

conclusionsThe prevalence of scabies in this study exceeds 10%, the threshold above which evidence-based public health strategies including mass drug administration (treatment of the entire community, regardless of whether they show evidence of the disease) may be considered.

Indexed as

ScabiesSkin Diseases, BacterialAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansImpetigoInfantMaleMiddle AgedPolynesia

Identifiers

PMID40489548
PMCPMC12173380

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.