A Community-Based Study to Estimate the Seroprevalence of Trichinellosis and Echinococcosis in the Roma and Non-Roma Population of Slovakia

Daniela Antolová, Monika Halánová, Martin Janičko, Peter Jarčuška, Katarína Reiterová, Júlia Jarošová, Andrea Madarasová Gecková, Daniel Pella, Sylvia Dražilová and HepaMeta Team
Additional contact information
Daniela Antolová: Department of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Parasitology SAS, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Monika Halánová: Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Martin Janičko: Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Peter Jarčuška: Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Katarína Reiterová: Department of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Parasitology SAS, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Júlia Jarošová: Department of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Parasitology SAS, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Andrea Madarasová Gecková: Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Daniel Pella: Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
Sylvia Dražilová: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Poprad, 058 01 Poprad, Slovakia
HepaMeta Team: HepaMeta Team Members: Peter Jarčuška, Andrea Madarasová Gecková, Mária Mareková, Daniel Pella, Leonard Siegfried, Pavol Jarčuška, Lýdia Pastvová, Ján Fedačko, Jana Kollárová, Peter Kolarčik, Daniela Bobáková, Zuzana Veselská, Ingrid Babinská, Sylvia Dražilová, Jaroslav Rosenberger, Ivan Schréter, Pavol Kristian, Eduard Veselíny, Martin Janičko, Ladislav Virág, Anna Birková, Marta Kmeťová, Monika Halánová, Darina Petrášová, Katarína Cáriková, Viera Lovayová, Lucia Merkovská, Lucia Jedličková, Ivana Valková.

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-9

Abstract: Trichinellosis and cystic and alveolar echinococcosis are serious parasitic diseases transmissible between animals and humans. Moreover, alveolar echinococcosis is considered one of the most dangerous of human helminthoses. Roma communities are particularly numerous in Central and Eastern Europe. They are often concentrated in economically undeveloped regions and live in segregated localities with unsatisfactory housing and sanitary conditions. The study aimed to find out the seroprevalence of Trichinella and Echinococcus infections in the Roma population of segregated settlements and to compare it with the seropositivity of the non-Roma population of eastern Slovakia. Out of 823 samples, three sera showed seropositivity to Trichinella in the ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test. Subsequent Western blot reaction (WB) confirmed seropositivity in two Roma women. ELISA seropositivity to E. multilocularis was recorded in six persons (0.73%), and five (0.61%) respondents were seropositive to E. granulosus , but WB confirmed the presence of antibodies to Echinococcus spp. in one Roma participant. Positive persons suffered from unspecific clinical symptoms; Trichinella -positive persons reported headache, cough, fatigue, and muscle pain. The Echinococcus -positive participant suffered from headache and back pain. The study showed that the worse living conditions of the Roma community did not significantly influence the occurrence of Trichinella and Echinococcus infections in this minority.

Keywords: Trichinella spp.; Echinococcus multilocularis; Echinococcus granulosus; Roma population; Slovakia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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