title: Hookworm infection among school age children in Kintampo north municipality, Ghana: nutritional risk factors and response to albendazole treatment.
abstract: Children (n = 812) 6-11 years of age attending 16 schools in the Kintampo North Municipality of Ghana were screened for participation in a study on hookworm infection, nutrition, and response to albendazole. The prevalence of Necator americanus hookworm infection (n = 286) was 39.1%, and significant predictors of infection included age, malaria parasitemia, lack of health care, school area, levels of antibodies against hookworm, and low consumption of animal foods. The cure rate after a single dose (400 mg) albendazole was 43%, and the mean fecal egg count reduction rate was 87.3%. Data for an in vitro egg hatch assay showed a trend toward reduced albendazole susceptibility in post-treatment hookworm isolates (P = 0.06). In summary, hookworm infection is prevalent among school age children in the Kintampo North Municipality and animal food intake inversely correlates with infection status. Modest cure rates and fecal egg count reduction rates reinforce the need for further investigation of potential benzimidazole resistance in Ghana.
authors.affiliation: Program in International Child Health, Department of Pediatrics and School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. debbie.humphries@yale.edu
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Humphries
authors.forename: Benjamin T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Simms
authors.forename: Dylan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otchere
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quagraine
authors.forename: Shawn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Terryah
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Elyssa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boakye
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cappello
mesh_terms: D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004032:Diet; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006725:Hookworm Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D017221:Necator americanus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015766:Albendazole