Assessment of dual schistosome infection prevalence from urine in an endemic community of Ghana by molecular diagnostic approach
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Date
2019-12-26
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Parasite Epidemiology and Control
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is an important Neglected Tropical Disease caused by blood parasites called
schistosomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, two major human schistosomes, namely Schistosoma
mansoni and S. haematobium, often occur sympatrically and is responsible for almost 90% of
the affected 290 million people worldwide. We have utilized a highly sensitive and specific
assay by amplifying species-specific cell-free repeat DNA fragments by polymerase chain reaction
to detect either single or dual schistosome infection from a single urine sample from a
broad age group. In this study, we have tested filtered urine samples collected from 163 individuals
aged 3–63 years, mostly children (median age 10), to evaluate the prevalence of single
and dual infections for S. mansoni and S. haematobium in Tomefa community in the Greater
Accra region of Ghana. 40–50 mL of urine was filtered through a 12.5 cm Whatman # 3 filter
paper in the field. The filter papers were dried, packed individually in sealable plastic bags with
a desiccant, and shipped to Marquette University, where DNA was isolated and PCR amplification
was carried out with species-specific primers. Disease prevalence was found to be 46.6%
for S. mansoni and 48.5% for S. haematobium. Most importantly, 23.3% of participants had
dual infections. All of the samples were detected without any cross amplification. The data
was evaluated for four age groups and infection rate was highest for the age group of
3–12 years, with more S. haematobium infections than S. mansoni infections. We found a high
prevalence of both S. haematobium and S. mansoni infection and a significant proportion of
dual infection for the Tomefa community, which in most cases would be missed by traditional
parasitological examination of urine or stool. Our highly sensitive and specific approach for detecting
underlying multiple schistosome infections is an effective means to detect low intensity
infections and would enhance the effectiveness of surveillance and Mass Drug Administration
control programs of schistosomiasis
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Cell-free repeat DNA, PCR, Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni), Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium), Urine