High Prevalence and Risk Factors for Hookworm and Strongyloides Stercoralis Infections in Rural East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Background: Hookworm and Strongyloides stercoralis infections are neglected tropical diseases in developing countries, which have environmental risk factors with the potential for transmission of hookworm and S. stercoralis infections. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk factors for hookworm and S. stercoralis infections in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 213 participants from 28 villages, including 12 villages from Muara Kaman District and 16 villages from Marangkayu District in East Kalimantan Province. The data from 10-15 households of each village with 1-3 participants in each household were collected. In this study, Kato Katz and Koga agar plate cultures/KAP cultures were used for diagnosing hookworm and S. stercoralis infections among participants. The Pearson chi-square analysis was used to analyze the correlation between risk factors with hookworm and S. stercoralis infections. Results: In this study, 72 (33.8%) and 17 (8.0%) participants were infected with hookworm and S. stercoralis, respectively. The prevalence of hookworm infection reported was higher than S. stercoralis infection in rural areas of East Kalimantan Province. Hookworm infection has been signi¦ cantly associated with demographic factors, sanitation conditions and personal hygiene. In addition, high hookworm infection has been signi¦ cantly associated with environmental factors such as locality of district, organic carbon content in the soil, temperature, humidity, number of days of rainfall, volume of rainfall, wet/dry soil around houses, and habitation. However, S. stercoralis infection has not been signi¦ cantly correlated with demographic factors, sanitation conditions, and personal hygiene. The highest odds ratio of hookworm infection was in village areas surrounded by a river or coastal areas OR: 2.92 (95% CL: 1.38-6.24), while the highest odds ratio of S. stercoralis infection was in households with habitation with humans infected with S. stercoralis OR: 95% CL: 8.33 (2.27-30.61). Conclusions: The high prevalence and risk factors of hookworm and S. stercoralis infections in rural communities in East Kalimantan Province. Characteristics of demographic factors, sanitation conditions, and personal hygiene that were correlated with hookworm and S. stercoralis infection should be used for control and prevention programs to reduce hookworm and S. stercoralis infections, especially in rural areas.