Prevalence and risk factors associated with Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs in Oyam district, Uganda.

introductionTaenia solium cysticercosis is a disease known as porcine cysticercosis (PC) in swine/pigs but also taeniosis and cysticercosis in humans. The larval stage of the pork tapeworm (T. solium) has for decades been responsible for lowering economic productivity of pigs and has direct human health defects. This study assessed the disease situation in pigs to provide baseline data for appropriate disease control in humans and pigs in Oyam district following a significant improvement in latrine coverage in Uganda. METHODOLOGY: A study was conducted in Oyam district in which blood was obtained from 394 pigs and analyzed for the presence or absence of circulating antigens of T. solium using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cysticercosis Ag ELISA). The sampled pigs were also subjected to lingual examination for the presence or absence of T. solium cysts. Furthermore, structured questionnaires were administered to pig owners to collect information about pig management systems, feeding, housing, sex, breed and ages of pigs as well as awareness of T. solium cysticercosis and its control. The association of risk factors with prevalence of porcine cysticercosis was assessed using chi-square and logistic regression analyses at the 95% confidence level. These results were then compared with those of Nsadha et al. (2010). PRINCIPAL

findingsThe overall prevalence of PC was 27% (Lingual examination) and 33% (ELISA), indicating a 17% increase in infection rates in the district from the result of Nsadha et al. (2010). While latrine coverage increased from below 50% to 74 an increase of 24%. Local breeds, age of pigs, poor household hygiene, consuming pork and tethering and free-range husbandry systems were significant predictors of infection. There was no significant association between the possession or use of latrine and prevalence of PC in the study area. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: PC is still endemic in Oyam District and significant risk factors are: breeds, age, husbandry practices, pork consumption and household hygiene. Therefore, efforts to expand latrine coverage should be accompanied by improvements in latrine quality, community sensitization, and broader investments in sanitation infrastructure in the study area and in other settings with similar epidemiological profiles. Furthermore, future studies could factor in the impact of environmental contamination and latrine status to give a comprehensive picture of the epidemiology of the infection in the area.