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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1480579

Risk Factors Associated with Human Echinococcosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Fahmi Kakamad Fahmi Kakamad 1*Khanda A Anwar Khanda A Anwar 1Harem K Ahmed Harem K Ahmed 2Imad J Habibullah Imad J Habibullah 2Hemn H Kaka Ali Hemn H Kaka Ali 2Hawkar A Nasralla Hawkar A Nasralla 2Hiwa O Abdullah Hiwa O Abdullah 2Soran H Tahir Soran H Tahir 1Honar O Kareem Honar O Kareem 2Ali H Hasan Ali H Hasan 2Dana T Gharib Dana T Gharib 2Hoshmand R Asaad Hoshmand R Asaad 2Ayoob A Mohammed Ayoob A Mohammed 1Berun A Abdalla Berun A Abdalla 2Deari Ismaeil Deari Ismaeil 1Rezheen J Rashid Rezheen J Rashid 2Karokh F Hamahussein Karokh F Hamahussein 2
  • 1 College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
  • 2 Smart Health Tower, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Echinococcosis is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by tapeworms of the Echinococcus genus, manifesting in mature or larval forms. Cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) are the primary types affecting humans, linked respectively to Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the risk factors associated with CE and AE in humans.Relevant English publications were found through a thorough search of eligible databases. The inclusion criteria focused on cross-sectional and case-control studies investigating risk factors for human echinococcosis. Collected data included author, country, study design, demographics, sample size, literacy, occupation, drinking water source, dog ownership, and hand hygiene.A total of 1594 studies were found in the initial search, with only 36 papers (involving 1,207,436 cases) meeting the inclusion criteria. Most of the study population (99.35%) showed no echinococcosis infection, while 0.65% were infected. Of the infected cases, 77.92% had CE, while 22.08% had AE. Among 629,996 (52.18%) female patients, 4,830 (0.76%) were infected, compared to 2,968 (0.52%) infections among 565,872 (46.86%) male patients (p < 0.001). Rural areas, low education levels, agricultural/livestock workers, dog owners, water sources, and poor hand hygiene were all significantly associated with the infection (p < 0.05).Echinococcosis remains a global health concern, particularly among rural residents, those with lower education, agricultural workers, and dog owners. Targeted public health measures, including improved hygiene practices and access to clean water, are essential to reducing its impact.

    Keywords: Alveolar echinococcosis, Cystic echinococcosis, Risk factors, Echinococcus granulosus, Hydatid cyst, zoonosis Declarations Not applicable Not applicable

    Received: 14 Aug 2024; Accepted: 11 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kakamad, Anwar, Ahmed, Habibullah, Kaka Ali, Nasralla, Abdullah, Tahir, Kareem, Hasan, Gharib, Asaad, Mohammed, Abdalla, Ismaeil, Rashid and Hamahussein. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Fahmi Kakamad, College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

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