Demand for meat leading to spread of tapeworm infections in new regions
The parasite can grow slowly in people for years to form thick-walled cysts in vital organs such as the liver and lungs.
What you need to know:
- The parasite can grow slowly in people for years to form thick-walled cysts in vital organs such as the liver and lungs. It can cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
- If the lung is affected, clinical signs include chronic cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.
Slaughterhouses have become vessels for spreading tapeworms to new areas in the country, researchers say.
Dogs that congregate and eat whatever is discarded in slaughterhouses contaminate the environment and spread the worms to humans.
The parasite can grow slowly in people for years to form thick-walled cysts in vital organs such as the liver and lungs. It can cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. If the lung is affected, clinical signs include chronic cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.
The researchers conducted four studies in Busia and Bungoma counties, which share a border. These counties previously had no recorded cases of tapeworms among humans and livestock. However, as the demand for meat rises, livestock from areas where tapeworm infestation is endemic are being transported for slaughter in areas where tapeworm infestation was unheard of, or recorded very few cases, bringing tapeworm infections with them.
“In Kenya, the disease has long been present over a long period of time at a relatively low level in pastoralist communities who live and work closely with livestock, in north-western Kenya and Maasailand. Traditional pastoralist livestock farming in Kenya’s north, for example in Turkana, has concentrated the risk of disease in communities there. But populations in other parts of Kenya are increasing, and thus so is the demand for meat. As a result, more animals are being driven south for slaughter, bringing tapeworm infections with them,” says the scientists.
Over two years, the researchers collected over 16,000 reports in both counties and found a very high infection rate in the samples collected - 32 per cent of cattle and goat, 74 per cent of cattle lungs and 58 per cent of goat lungs had tapeworms.
The researchers tracked the movement of 73 dogs using GPS collars for over five days, and found out that they visited slaughterhouses frequently in search of food. An analysis of their faecal matter showed the presence of tapeworms.
“The parasite matures in the dogs’ intestines and the dog sheds eggs in faeces, contaminating the environment. People get infected when inadvertently parasite eggs from the environment are eaten, usually due to poor household hygiene,” the researchers say.
The researchers also conducted ultrasounds on some residents of Bungoma County and found out that they had injuries in their intestines, showing possibility of tapeworm infection.
“While we did not find that the population extensively suffered from this disease, we detected early signs of the establishment of a local transmission cycle. This means that the parasite has been introduced and is spreading slowly in groups of people and dogs, which have not been exposed before. This slow-moving outbreak could soon represent a much more significant public health problem if left unchecked,” the researchers say.
They also warn that the lack of ultrasound imaging tools by health facilities in the region may pose a public health risk. This means that health officers may not effectively diagnose and treat tapeworm infections, leading to an escalation and advancement of infections. This may eventually necessitate surgical interventions for treatment.
“The intersection of infected livestock from endemic tapeworm regions and dogs scavenging for disposed animal by-products creates conditions under which it is more likely that humans become infected,” say the researchers.
Tapeworm disease affects about one million people globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It, however, does not receive a lot of attention, even though the disease can be life threatening, invasive and expensive to treat.
The Word Health Organization details that humans can generally get infected with tapeworms through eating their eggs in contaminated food, water or soil, or through direct contact with animals carrying them.
The disease often affects the liver and lungs, but it may also affect the bones, kidney, spleen, muscles and central nervous system.
“Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting are commonly seen when hydatids (cysts containing tapeworm larvae) occur in the liver. If the lung is affected, clinical signs include chronic cough, chest pain and shortness of breath. Other signs depend on the location of the hydatid cysts and the pressure exerted on the surrounding tissues. Non-specific signs include anorexia, weight loss and weakness,” says WHO.
The disease, says WHO, is “often expensive and complicated to treat, sometimes requiring extensive surgery and/or prolonged drug therapy.”
“The choice must primarily be based on the ultrasound images of the cyst, following a stage-specific approach, and also on the medical infrastructure and human resources available. Unfortunately, in many patients the disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage. As a result, if palliative surgery is carried out without complete and effective anti-infective treatment, frequent relapses will occur,” adds WHO.
Slaughterhouses have become vessels for spreading tapeworms to new areas in the country, researchers say.
Dogs that congregate and eat whatever is discarded in slaughterhouses contaminate the environment and spread the worms to humans.
The parasite can grow slowly in people for years to form thick-walled cysts in vital organs such as the liver and lungs. It can cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. If the lung is affected, clinical signs include chronic cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.
The researchers conducted four studies in Busia and Bungoma counties, which share a border. These counties previously had no recorded cases of tapeworms among humans and livestock. However, as the demand for meat rises, livestock from areas where tapeworm infestation is endemic are being transported for slaughter in areas where tapeworm infestation was unheard of, or recorded very few cases, bringing tapeworm infections with them.
“In Kenya, the disease has long been present over a long period of time at a relatively low level in pastoralist communities who live and work closely with livestock, in north-western Kenya and Maasailand. Traditional pastoralist livestock farming in Kenya’s north, for example in Turkana, has concentrated the risk of disease in communities there. But populations in other parts of Kenya are increasing, and thus so is the demand for meat. As a result, more animals are being driven south for slaughter, bringing tapeworm infections with them,” says the scientists.
Over two years, the researchers collected over 16,000 reports in both counties and found a very high infection rate in the samples collected - 32 per cent of cattle and goat, 74 per cent of cattle lungs and 58 per cent of goat lungs had tapeworms.
The researchers tracked the movement of 73 dogs using GPS collars for over five days, and found out that they visited slaughterhouses frequently in search of food. An analysis of their faecal matter showed the presence of tapeworms.
“The parasite matures in the dogs’ intestines and the dog sheds eggs in faeces, contaminating the environment. People get infected when inadvertently parasite eggs from the environment are eaten, usually due to poor household hygiene,” the researchers say.
The researchers also conducted ultrasounds on some residents of Bungoma County and found out that they had injuries in their intestines, showing possibility of tapeworm infection.
“While we did not find that the population extensively suffered from this disease, we detected early signs of the establishment of a local transmission cycle. This means that the parasite has been introduced and is spreading slowly in groups of people and dogs, which have not been exposed before. This slow-moving outbreak could soon represent a much more significant public health problem if left unchecked,” the researchers say.
They also warn that the lack of ultrasound imaging tools by health facilities in the region may pose a public health risk. This means that health officers may not effectively diagnose and treat tapeworm infections, leading to an escalation and advancement of infections. This may eventually necessitate surgical interventions for treatment.
“The intersection of infected livestock from endemic tapeworm regions and dogs scavenging for disposed animal by-products creates conditions under which it is more likely that humans become infected,” say the researchers.
Tapeworm disease affects about one million people globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It, however, does not receive a lot of attention, even though the disease can be life threatening, invasive and expensive to treat.
The Word Health Organization details that humans can generally get infected with tapeworms through eating their eggs in contaminated food, water or soil, or through direct contact with animals carrying them.
The disease often affects the liver and lungs, but it may also affect the bones, kidney, spleen, muscles and central nervous system.
“Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting are commonly seen when hydatids (cysts containing tapeworm larvae) occur in the liver. If the lung is affected, clinical signs include chronic cough, chest pain and shortness of breath. Other signs depend on the location of the hydatid cysts and the pressure exerted on the surrounding tissues. Non-specific signs include anorexia, weight loss and weakness,” says WHO.
The disease, says WHO, is “often expensive and complicated to treat, sometimes requiring extensive surgery and/or prolonged drug therapy.”
“The choice must primarily be based on the ultrasound images of the cyst, following a stage-specific approach, and also on the medical infrastructure and human resources available. Unfortunately, in many patients the disease is diagnosed at an advanced stage. As a result, if palliative surgery is carried out without complete and effective anti-infective treatment, frequent relapses will occur,” adds WHO.
