Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40500806›Full record

ArticleInfectious diseases of poverty2025

Wastewater-based epidemiological study on helminth egg detection in untreated sewage sludge from Brazilian regions with unequal income.

Andrey Duarte Boava, Alberto Jorge da Rocha Silva, Paula Beatriz Santiago, Bruno Dias Batista, Daniela Cunha Coelho, Ivana Mirtes Feu Silva, Patrícia Barbosa Machado, Patrícia Souza Sobrinho, Carla Nunes de Araújo, Izabela Marques Dourado Bastos

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infectious diseases of poverty, 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

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Andrey Duarte BoavaPathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0141-9182
Alberto Jorge da Rocha SilvaCoordination of Biological and Limnological Analyses, Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil.
Paula Beatriz SantiagoPathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.
Bruno Dias BatistaCoordination of Biological and Limnological Analyses, Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil.
Daniela Cunha CoelhoCoordination of Biological and Limnological Analyses, Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil.
Ivana Mirtes Feu SilvaCoordination of Biological and Limnological Analyses, Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil.
Patrícia Barbosa MachadoCoordination of Biological and Limnological Analyses, Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil.
Patrícia Souza SobrinhoCoordination of Biological and Limnological Analyses, Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil.
Carla Nunes de AraújoPathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil. cnunes@unb.br.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1788-9745
Izabela Marques Dourado BastosPathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil. dourado@unb.br.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2785-4255

Funding

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 316892/2023-8Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior 88881.711954/2022-01Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal 00193-00002136/2023-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHelminthiases are neglected diseases that affect billions of people worldwide, particularly those with inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene practices, and limited access to clean water. Due to frequent underreporting, wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring parasitic infections at population-level. This study aimed to detect and quantify helminth eggs in untreated sewage sludge from eight wastewater treatment plants located in different Brazilian socioeconomic regions.

methodsThe study was conducted from June 2021 to December 2023 in Goiás and Federal District, the Brazilian federative unit with the highest income inequality. Samples were collected bimonthly (n = 121). Helminth eggs were recovered using centrifugation and flotation with a ZnSO

resultsTwelve helminth genera were identified, revealing significant differences in prevalence and diversity across socioeconomic strata. Cestode eggs, particularly Hymenolepis spp. (44.28%), were the most prevalent overall. Trematode eggs were less frequent but exhibited greater taxonomic diversity. Sludge from low-income areas had the highest egg concentration [16.61 ± 3.02 eggs per gram of dry mass ( eggs/g DM)], nearly five times greater than in high-income areas such as Brasília Norte (3.56 ± 0.55 eggs/g DM; P = 8.8 × 10⁻⁹). Ascaris spp. (19.27%) and Trichuris spp. (7.90%) predominated in low-income areas. Medium-income regions showed intermediate values, with notable regional variation.

conclusionsOur results demonstrate that helminth egg diversity and concentration in sewage sludge are closely related to the socioeconomic characteristics of the served population. These findings may inform prevention and control strategies in vulnerable areas and support the development of public health and sanitation policies that address social and environmental inequalities in Brazil's Central-Western region.

Indexed as

HelminthiasisHelminthsSewageWastewaterAnimalsBrazilHumansIncomeParasite Egg CountSocioeconomic FactorsSewageWastewaterBrazilEnvironmental surveillanceHelminthiasesOne HealthPublic healthWastewater

Identifiers

PMID40500806
PMCPMC12153139

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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.