title: A cluster-randomized bovine intervention trial against Schistosoma japonicum in the People's Republic of China: design and baseline results.
abstract: We describe the design and report baseline results of a cluster-randomized intervention to determine the importance of bovines for Schistosoma japonicum transmission in southern China. The study involves four matched village pairs in Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces, with a village within each pair randomly selected as intervention (human and bovine praziquantel treatment) or control (human praziquantel treatment only). Total study population prevalences at baseline were 12.4% (n = 5,390) and 15.2% (n = 1,573) for humans and bovines, respectively; village prevalences were similar within pairs. Bovine contamination index calculations showed that bovines less than 24 months of age were responsible for 74% of daily bovine environmental contamination with S. japonicum eggs. The village characteristics and baseline results underpin a rigorous study, which has major implications for deployment of a transmission-blocking bovine vaccine against S. japonicum. The combination of such a vaccine with other control strategies could potentially eliminate S. japonicum from southern China.
authors.affiliation: Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health and Nutrition, The University of Queensland and The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. d.gray1@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Darren J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Gail M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Yuesheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Honggen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Forsyth
authors.forename: Adrian G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Jiagang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McManus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002020:Buffaloes; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology; D013997:Time Factors; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D014612:Vaccines; D011223:Praziquantel