Factors | N | Schistosoma haematobium | Schistosoma mansoni | Mixed infection | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Positive, n(%) | p | Egg count (ep10mL) | p | Positive, n(%) | p | Egg count (epg) | p | Positive, n(%) | p | ||
Overall | 388 | 234 (60.3) | 16.8 | 236 (60.8) | 118 | 142 (36.6) | |||||
Age category | |||||||||||
< 16 years | 197 | 141 (71.6) | < 0.001 | 21.5 | < 0.01 | 125 (63.4) | 0.3 | 127.2 | 0.14 | 91 (46.2) | < 0.001 |
> 16 years | 191 | 93 (48.7) | 11.9 | 111 (58.1) | 108.6 | 51 (26.7) | |||||
Sex | |||||||||||
M | 186 | 104 (55.9) | 0.04 | 14.7 | 0.13 | 119 (64) | 0.13 | 128.5 | 0.13 | 69 (37.1) | 0.42 |
F | 202 | 130 (64.4) | 18.7 | 117 (57.9) | 108.4 | 73 (36.1) | |||||
Mixed infection | |||||||||||
No | 246 | 92 (37.4) | 0 | 9.6 | < 0.001 | 94 (38.2) | 0 | 70 | < 0.001 | NA | NA |
Yes | 142 | 142 (100) | 29 | 142 (100) | 200.7 | NA | |||||
| Schistosoma infection characteristics over time | |||||||||||
| Overall, there was a downward trend in the frequency of single and mixed Schistosoma infections over time, with a slight increase at the 6-week follow-up visit (Fig. 3). Infection intensity displayed also displayed a downward trend but the increase at the 6-week follow-up visit was only recorded among participants with mixed infections. At baseline, infection intensity was higher in mixed infections than in single infection. Conversely, at the 9-week follow-up visit, infection intensity was higher in participants with single infection compared to those with mixed infection. | |||||||||||
Factors | Schistosoma haematobium | Schistosoma mansoni | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Positive (N) | Cured, n(%) | p | ERR (%) | p | Positive (N) | Cured, n(%) | p | ERR (%) | p | |
Overall | 201 | 126 (62.7) | 97.5 | 203 | 192 (94.6) | 96.5 | ||||
Age category | ||||||||||
< 16 years | 125 | 69 (55.2) | 0.003 | 82 | 0.003 | 110 | 103 (93.6) | 0.37 | 96.7 | 0.98 |
≥ 16 years | 76 | 57 (75) | 91.6 | 93 | 89 (95.7) | 96.3 | ||||
Sex | ||||||||||
M | 89 | 53 (59.5) | 0.25 | 77 | 0.7 | 100 | 94 (94) | 0.48 | 95 | 0.77 |
F | 112 | 73 (65.2) | 92.6 | 103 | 98 (95.1) | 98 | ||||
Mixed Schistosoma infection | ||||||||||
No | 79 | 59 (74.7) | 0.003 | 95.8 | 0.01 | 81 | 78 (96.3) | 0.29 | 96.4 | 0.74 |
Yes | 122 | 67 (54.9) | 79.3 | 122 | 114 (93.4) | 96.6 | ||||
Factors | Schistosoma haematobium | Schistosoma mansoni | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Positive (N) | Cured, n(%) | p | CERR (%) | p | Positive (N) | Cured, n(%) | p | CERR (%) | p | |
Overall | 146 | 109 (75) | 95.6 | 143 | 134 (93.7) | 97.5 | ||||
Age category | ||||||||||
< 16 years | 93 | 61 (68.8) | 0.02 | 95.1 | 0.04 | 77 | 71 (92.2) | 0.3 | 99.2 | 0.5 |
≥ 16 years | 53 | 45 (84.9) | 96.5 | 65 | 62 (95.4) | 95.4 | ||||
Sex | ||||||||||
M | 64 | 46 (71.9) | 0.3 | 96 | 0.54 | 72 | 67 (93.1) | 0.52 | 99.5 | 0.83 |
F | 82 | 63 (76.8) | 95 | 70 | 66 (94.3) | 95.3 | ||||
Mixed Schistosoma infection | ||||||||||
Single | 63 | 52 (82.5) | 0.04 | 96.9 | 0.05 | 60 | 55 (91.7) | 0.29 | 95.5 | 0.39 |
Mixed | 83 | 57 (68.7) | 94.6 | 83 | 79 (95.2) | 98.9 | ||||
| Patterns of reinfection | ||||||||||
| Overall, we found a reinfection rate of 26% for S. haematobium and 8.4% for S. mansoni (Table 4). The S. haematobium reinfection rate was significantly higher in the younger (< 16 year) than the older (≥ 16 years) age group (36.4% versus 14%, p = 0.003). | ||||||||||
Factors | Schistosoma haematobium | Schistosoma mansoni | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cured (N) | Reinfected, n(%) | p | Cured (N) | Reinfected, n(%) | p | |
Overall | 116 | 31 (26.7) | 142 | 12 (8.4) | ||
Age category | ||||||
< 16 years | 66 | 24 (36.4) | 0.03 | 76 | 7 (9.2) | 0.49 |
≥ 16 years | 50 | 7 (14) | 66 | 5 (7.7) | ||
Sex | ||||||
M | 48 | 13 (27.1) | 0.5 | 72 | 9 (12.5) | 0.07 |
F | 68 | 18 (26.5) | 70 | 3 (4.3) | ||
Mixed Schistosoma infection | ||||||
No | 56 | 16 (28.6) | 0.4 | 60 | 3 (5) | 0.16 |
Yes | 60 | 15 (25) | 82 | 9 (11) | ||
| Discussion | ||||||
| Little is known about the impact of mixed Schistosoma infection on anthelminthic treatment performance and reinfection patterns after treatment. Such knowledge can bring more insight in the sustainability of preventive chemotherapy. The current study aimed to assess patterns of single and mixed Schistosoma infection before and after treatment with praziquantel. | ||||||
| Mixed Schistosoma infection was common in our study area, which is in line with other studies conducted in S. mansoni - S. haematobium co-endemic areas across SSA (see [23], [24] for review). In addition, baseline Schistosoma infection intensity was significantly higher in people carrying mixed infection compared to those with single Schistosoma infections (29 versus 9.6 ep10ml, p < 0.001 and 200.7 versus 70 epg, p < 0.001). This higher infection intensity is suggestive of increased morbidity among people carrying both species and calls for public health interventions targeting this group. | ||||||
| Over time, both infection prevalence and infection intensity decreased, with a slight rise at the 6-week follow-up visit. This peak can be due to the occurrence of early reinfection in this high transmission area for schistosomiasis. It may also be due to egg production by worms that survived the first treatments [25]. Since praziquantel has only minor activity against the larval stage of schistosomes, these immature parasites can survive and grow up to be egg-producing adult worms. | ||||||
| While baseline prevalence for S. mansoni (60.3%) and S. haematobium (60.8%) was similar before treatment, S. haematobium appeared to be more prevalent than S. mansoni at 3 (22.7% vs 2.8%), 6 (23.9% vs 5.3%), and 9-week (17% vs 4.4%) follow-up visits. A similar alteration of the composition of Schistosoma species in a context of praziquantel treatment has been reported by Knowles et al.[14]. They explained this by competitive interactions occurring between S. mansoni and S. haematobium in the context of drug treatment, leading to emergence of S. haematobium in the period after treatment. In addition, while baseline infection intensity was higher in mixed Schistosoma compared to single infections (29 ep10mL versus 9.6 ep10mL, p < 0.001 and 200.7 epg versus 70 epg, p < 0.001), a shift was observed at the 9-week follow-up visit, with S. haematobium infection intensity turning higher in single than in mixed infections (0.5 ep10mL versus 1.8 ep10mL, p < 0.001). This reversion of infection intensity at 9-week follow-up visit could suggest that multiple treatments by reducing infection intensity could have removed the discrepancies between mixed and single infections. | ||||||
| We measured the effect of single treatment and the cumulative effect of multiple treatment. In both cases, ERR were satisfactory in regard of WHO criteria [5]. However, the CR against S. haematobium was consistently lower than for S. mansoni (62.7% versus 94.6% and 75% versus 93.7%, respectively). This discrepancy could possibly be explained by tolerance of the local S. haematobium strain [26]. However, since no MDA campaign with praziquantel had taken place in Kifwa II before our study, this hypothesis is less likely. Another explanation could be the difference in sensitivity between Kato Katz and urine filtration, and the extent to which this sensitivity declines after treatment [27], [28]. While microscopy methods (Kato-Katz and urine filtration) become less sensitive after treatment, parasite eggs are easier to find in urine than in stool sample. | ||||||
| When comparing treatment outcomes by mixed infection status, CR and ERR on S. haematobium infection were significantly lower for people who had Schistosoma mixed infection at baseline than for those with single S. haematobium infection (74.7% versus 54.9%, p = 0.03 and 95.8% versus 79.3%, p = 0.01, respectively). Our data are in line with findings from the meta-analysis by Zwang et al [6] who also concluded that mixed infections are harder to clear. This can be explained by the higher pretreatment infection intensity found in participants with mixed Schistosoma infection. Indeed, infection intensity is inversely associated with CR and ERR [29], [30]. However, it is not clear at this point why a significant difference was observed only for S. haematobium and not for S. mansoni. Furthermore, a similar discrepancy was observed for CCR after multiple treatments (82.5% versus 68.7%, p = 0.04) but not for CERR (96.9% versus 94.6%, p = 0.05). This could suggest that pretreatment infection intensity alone cannot explain the influence of mixed Schistosoma infection on the efficacy of praziquantel treatment. Further research into the mechanisms by which mixed infections can shape treatment efficacy is needed. | ||||||
| No significant association was found between post-treatment reinfection with Schistosoma spp and baseline Schistosoma mixed infection status. This is in line with findings from other few studies which assessed the effect of mixed infection with S. mansoni and S. haematobium on reinfection patterns [13], [14], [15]. These findings are unexpected since mixed infection is commonly associated with higher infection intensity, which in turn, is associated with higher risk of reinfection. This suggests that infection intensity alone is not sufficient to explain the mechanism behind the association between Schistosoma mixed infection and reinfection patterns. | ||||||
| Younger age group (< 16 years) was significantly associated with lower treatment efficacy against S. haematobium and higher reinfection rate with S. haematobium compared to > 16 years age group. Our results are in accordance with previous studies showing that immunity against schistosomiasis, which is acquired with increasing age, enhances the efficacy of praziquantel [31]. As in other studies (see [12] for review) which explored reinfection patterns, the young age of reinfection found in our study can be explained by increased exposure and/or poor immune protection in children. Unfortunately, data on water contact and immunity were not collected in this study and their impact on observed reinfection could not be explored. Our results highlight the need for repeating praziquantel treatment in school aged children of our study area. Further studies are warranted to better understand why similar differences in age-related treatment efficacy or reinfection were not found for S. mansoni. | ||||||
| Although our study has the merit of addressing research questions on which there is little data in the DRC, it is important to point out certain limitations of the study. Firstly, nine weeks of post-treatment follow up does not allow to capture long-term outcomes in terms of both treatment efficacy and reinfection. A longer follow period would be more appropriate to study schistosomiasis reinfection patterns. Second, sensitivity of microscopy decreases when infection intensity is light, which is the case after treatment [32]. It is therefore possible that some light Schistosoma infections have been missed. Using a more sensitive diagnostic test would help refining the observed results. | ||||||
| Conclusion | ||||||
| Our results indicate an overall acceptable efficacy of praziquantel treatment in our study area, with a shift of the relative composition of Schistosoma species after treatment. However, mixed Schistosoma infections alter the effect of both single and cumulative praziquantel treatment against S. haematobium. No evidence of an effect of pretreatment mixed infection status on reinfection patterns. Further studies are needed to better understand how multiple Schistosoma infections affects treatment efficacy and reinfection and the implications for disease control. | ||||||