Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening
To eliminate onchocerciasis-associated morbidity, it is important to identify areas where there is still high ongoing <i>Onchocerca volvulus</i> transmission. Between 2015 and 2021, door-to-door surveys were conducted in onchocerciasis-endemic villages in Cameroon, the Democratic Republi...
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/3/281 |
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| author | Alfred Dusabimana Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo Michel Mandro Ndahura Bruno P. Mmbando Stephen Raimon Jada Annelies Boven Eric De Smet Tony Ukety Alfred K. Njamnshi Anne Laudisoit Steven Abrams Robert Colebunders |
| author_facet | Alfred Dusabimana Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo Michel Mandro Ndahura Bruno P. Mmbando Stephen Raimon Jada Annelies Boven Eric De Smet Tony Ukety Alfred K. Njamnshi Anne Laudisoit Steven Abrams Robert Colebunders |
| author_sort | Alfred Dusabimana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To eliminate onchocerciasis-associated morbidity, it is important to identify areas where there is still high ongoing <i>Onchocerca volvulus</i> transmission. Between 2015 and 2021, door-to-door surveys were conducted in onchocerciasis-endemic villages in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, South Sudan, and Tanzania to determine epilepsy prevalence and incidence, type of epilepsy and ivermectin therapeutic coverage. Moreover, children aged between six and 10 years were tested for anti-<i>Onchocerca</i> antibodies using the Ov16 IgG4 rapid diagnostic test (RDT). A mixed-effect binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess significantly associated variables of Ov16 antibody seroprevalence. A high prevalence and incidence of epilepsy was found to be associated with a high Ov16 antibody seroprevalence among 6–10-year-old children, except in the Logo health zone, DRC. The low Ov16 antibody seroprevalence among young children in the Logo health zone, despite a high prevalence of epilepsy, may be explained by a recent decrease in <i>O. volvulus</i> transmission because of a decline in the <i>Simulium</i> vector population as a result of deforestation. In the Central African Republic, a new focus of <i>O. volvulus</i> transmission was detected based on the high Ov16 IgG4 seropositivity among children and the detecting of nodding syndrome cases, a phenotypic form of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE). In conclusion, Ov16 IgG4 RDT testing of 6–10-year-old children is a cheap and rapid method to determine the level of ongoing <i>O. volvulus</i> transmission and to assess, together with surveillance for OAE, the performance of onchocerciasis elimination programs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:03:20Z |
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| id | doaj.art-fc0c27f99b7c4bc9807d05a1f7ffea6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:03:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-fc0c27f99b7c4bc9807d05a1f7ffea6c2023-11-30T21:51:52ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172022-02-0111328110.3390/pathogens11030281Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need StrengtheningAlfred Dusabimana0Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo1Michel Mandro Ndahura2Bruno P. Mmbando3Stephen Raimon Jada4Annelies Boven5Eric De Smet6Tony Ukety7Alfred K. Njamnshi8Anne Laudisoit9Steven Abrams10Robert Colebunders11Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumProvincial Health Division Ituri, Ministry of Health, Bunia P.O. Box 57, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the CongoNational Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Centre, Tanga P.O. Box 5004, TanzaniaAmref South Sudan, Juba P.O. Box 30125, South SudanGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumCentre de Recherche en Maladies Tropicales (CRMT), Bunia P.O. Box 143, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the CongoBrain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Yaoundé P.O. Box 25625, CameroonEcoHealth Alliance, 520 8th Ave Ste. 1200, New York, NY 10018, USAGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumTo eliminate onchocerciasis-associated morbidity, it is important to identify areas where there is still high ongoing <i>Onchocerca volvulus</i> transmission. Between 2015 and 2021, door-to-door surveys were conducted in onchocerciasis-endemic villages in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, South Sudan, and Tanzania to determine epilepsy prevalence and incidence, type of epilepsy and ivermectin therapeutic coverage. Moreover, children aged between six and 10 years were tested for anti-<i>Onchocerca</i> antibodies using the Ov16 IgG4 rapid diagnostic test (RDT). A mixed-effect binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess significantly associated variables of Ov16 antibody seroprevalence. A high prevalence and incidence of epilepsy was found to be associated with a high Ov16 antibody seroprevalence among 6–10-year-old children, except in the Logo health zone, DRC. The low Ov16 antibody seroprevalence among young children in the Logo health zone, despite a high prevalence of epilepsy, may be explained by a recent decrease in <i>O. volvulus</i> transmission because of a decline in the <i>Simulium</i> vector population as a result of deforestation. In the Central African Republic, a new focus of <i>O. volvulus</i> transmission was detected based on the high Ov16 IgG4 seropositivity among children and the detecting of nodding syndrome cases, a phenotypic form of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE). In conclusion, Ov16 IgG4 RDT testing of 6–10-year-old children is a cheap and rapid method to determine the level of ongoing <i>O. volvulus</i> transmission and to assess, together with surveillance for OAE, the performance of onchocerciasis elimination programs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/3/281onchocerciasisonchocerciasis-associated epilepsyepilepsy prevalenceincidenceivermectinOV16 antibodies |
| spellingShingle | Alfred Dusabimana Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo Michel Mandro Ndahura Bruno P. Mmbando Stephen Raimon Jada Annelies Boven Eric De Smet Tony Ukety Alfred K. Njamnshi Anne Laudisoit Steven Abrams Robert Colebunders Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening Pathogens onchocerciasis onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy epilepsy prevalence incidence ivermectin OV16 antibodies |
| title | Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening |
| title_full | Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening |
| title_fullStr | Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening |
| title_full_unstemmed | Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening |
| title_short | Surveillance for Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy and OV16 IgG4 Testing of Children 6–10 Years Old Should Be Used to Identify Areas Where Onchocerciasis Elimination Programs Need Strengthening |
| title_sort | surveillance for onchocerciasis associated epilepsy and ov16 igg4 testing of children 6 10 years old should be used to identify areas where onchocerciasis elimination programs need strengthening |
| topic | onchocerciasis onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy epilepsy prevalence incidence ivermectin OV16 antibodies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/3/281 |
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