Load of helminth eggs in environmental and stool samples of farmers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background: STH infections are public health problems in countries with poor sanitation coverage. However, there is a paucity of information on the epidemiological link between the environmental sample and helminth infection among farmers in Ethiopia. This aimed to investigate the load of STH in wastewater, soil, and the relationship between helminths in the environmental samples and farmers' stool in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2021 and February 2022 to determine the load of STH in environmental and farmer stool samples. A stratified random sampling technique was used to pick farming households. The sample size for each district was determined by a proportionate allocation to the number of households. From the wastewater-irrigated farm, 70 wastewater, 28 soil, and 86 farmers' stool samples were gathered and analyzed. A questionnaire was used to gather qualitative data, while environmental samples were used to generate quantitative data. Stata version 14 was used for data processing and analysis. The link between helminth in an environmental sample and the farmer's health was investigated using Poisson regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The total load of STH eggs in the wastewater was 82.9 %, 57.1 % in the soil, and 18.6% in the farmers' stool. The concentration of Ascaris lumbricoides was found to be the highest in all investigated samples (wastewater 67 %, soil 25 %, and stool 10.5 %), followed by hookworm (wastewater 10 %, soil 21.4 %, and stool 6.9 %) and Trichuris trichiura eggs (wastewater 5.7 %, soil 10.7 %, and stool 1.2 %). The concentration of STH eggs in irrigation wastewater and agricultural soil showed a correlation with the infection in farmers', with a positive regression coefficient of 1.63 (95 % CI = 1.34 – 1.92) and 1.70 (95 % CI = 1.39 – 2.01) respectively. The association was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Irrigating farmland with wastewater contaminated by STH eggs is a potential route for helminth infection among farmers. Therefore, an integrated approach is essential to address the problem in the area and prevent the spread of helminth infections.