A drug-based intervention study on the importance of buffaloes for human Schistosoma japonicum infection around Poyang Lake, People's Republic of China.
Schistosomiasis japonica is a zoonosis of major public health importance in southern China. We undertook a drug intervention to test the hypothesis that buffalo are major reservoirs for human infection in the marshlands/lake areas, where one million people are infected. We compared human and buffalo infection rates and intensity in an intervention village (Jishan), where humans and buffalo were treated with praziquantel, and a control village (Hexi), where only humans were treated, in the Poyang Lake region. Over the four-year study, human incidence in Jishan decreased but increased in Hexi. Adjustment of incidence by age, sex, water exposure, year, and village further confirmed the decreased human infection in Jishan. Chemotherapy for buffaloes resulted in a decrease in buffalo infection rates in Jishan, which coincided with the reduction in human infection rates there in the last two years of the study. Mathematical modeling predicted that buffalo are responsible for 75% of human transmission in Jishan.
Guo
Jiagang
J
Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Li
Yuesheng
Y
Gray
Darren
D
Ning
An
A
Hu
Guanghan
G
Chen
Honggen
H
Davis
George M
GM
Sleigh
Adrian C
AC
Feng
Zheng
Z
McManus
Donald P
DP
Williams
Gail M
GM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000469:parasitology; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015995:Prevalence; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014881:Water Supply; D015047:Zoonoses
D000871:Anthelmintics; D011223:Praziquantel