Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb 7;24(1):27.
doi: 10.1186/s12882-023-03074-9.

Prevalence and risk factors of Strongyloides stercoralis in haemodialysis in Cochabamba, Bolivia: a cross-sectional study

Nicolas Tebib  1 , Nathalie Tebib  2 , Mauricio Paredes  3 , Rosario Castro  4 , Stéphanie Baggio  5   6 , Mario Villarroel Torrico  4 , Amilcar Alejandro Flores Leon  7 , Maya Herbas Zamorano  8 , Francois Chappuis  9 , Laurent Getaz  10   11
Affiliations

Prevalence and risk factors of Strongyloides stercoralis in haemodialysis in Cochabamba, Bolivia: a cross-sectional study

Nicolas Tebib et al. BMC Nephrol. .

Abstract

Background: Strongyloidiasis is an infectious disease that can be fatal in immunocompromised patients. Patients with end-stage renal failure who are on dialysis have a considerably weakened immune system, and organ transplantation is a major risk factor for severe strongyloidiasis. Knowledge of the local epidemiology in tropical and subtropical areas is an essential prerequisite for designing an appropriate strategy to prevent this potentially lethal complication. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of S. stercoralis infection in patients on dialysis in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among patients undergoing haemodialysis in Cochabamba (elevation 2,500 m, temperate climate), collecting information on socio-demographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables, and using one coproparasitological technique (the modified Baermann technique) and one serological (ELISA) test for S.stercoralis diagnosis.

Results: In total, 149 patients participated in the study (mean age = 51.4 years, 48.3% male). End-stage renal disease was predominantly (59%) of hypertensive and/or diabetic origin. The positive serological prevalence was 18.8% (95% CI: 13.3%-25.9%). Based on the sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA test, the estimate of the actual prevalence was 15.1% (95% CI: 9.4%-20.7%). Stool samples of 105 patients (70.5%) showed a coproparasitological prevalence of 1.9% (95% CI: 0.52%-6.68%). No potential risk factors were significantly associated with S. stercoralis infection.

Conclusions: We found a high seroprevalence of S. stercoralis in Bolivian patients undergoing haemodialysis in Cochabamba. We recommend presumptive antiparasitic treatment at regular intervals to avoid the potentially fatal complications of severe strongyloidiasis.

Keywords: Chronic kidney failure; Disseminated strongyloidiasis; Hyperinfection syndrome; Renal dialysis; Strongyloides stercoralis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study flowchart
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Olsen A, van Lieshout L, Marti H, Polderman T, Polman K, Steinmann P, et al. Strongyloidiasis–the most neglected of the neglected tropical diseases? Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2009;103(10):967–972. doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2009.02.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bisoffi Z, Buonfrate D, Montresor A, Requena-Mendez A, Munoz J, Krolewiecki AJ, et al. Strongyloides stercoralis: a plea for action. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013;7(5):e2214. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002214. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buonfrate D, Bisanzio D, Giorli G, Odermatt P, Fürst T, Greenaway C, et al. The global prevalence of strongyloides stercoralis infection. Pathogens. 2020;9(6):468. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9060468. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Getaz L, Castro R, Zamora P, Kramer M, Gareca N, Torrico-Espinoza MDC, et al. Epidemiology of Strongyloides stercoralis infection in Bolivian patients at high risk of complications. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019;13(1):e0007028. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007028. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schar F, Trostdorf U, Giardina F, Khieu V, Muth S, Marti H, et al. Strongyloides stercoralis: global distribution and risk factors. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013;7(7):e2288. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002288. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types