title: Seroprevalence of cysticercosis in children and young adults living in a helminth endemic community in leyte, the Philippines.
abstract: Cysticercosis is a significant public health problem in countries where pigs are raised for consumption and remains an important cause of neurological disease worldwide. The Philippines is considered an endemic area for cysticercosis because cases in both humans and pigs have been reported; however, epidemiologic information stays limited. We conducted a pilot survey of the seroprevalence of human cysticercosis in a village in Leyte, the Philippines, by measuring antibody specific for Taenia solium cyst-fluid antigen. There were 497 subjects aged 7-30 years in our study and most subjects were infected with one or more helminths. The overall cysticercosis seroprevalence in this population was 24.6% (95% CI: 20.82% ~ 28.58%) with no significant difference based on age, sex, or other helminth coinfection status. Although the sample may not be representative of the whole community, the findings suggest that cysticercosis is a significant, but underrecognized public health concern in the Philippines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Mei
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Luz P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Daria L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Manalo
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiz
authors.forename: Blanca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jarilla
authors.forename: Archie O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Pablo
authors.forename: Remigio M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ovleda
authors.forename: Gretchen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Langdon
authors.forename: Stephen T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: McGarvey
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kurtis
authors.forename: Jennifer F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Hai-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wu