Human Fasciolosis in Iran: A Meta-analysis Study

Abstract

Background: Fasciolosis, an infectious disorder with a serious public health burden, is caused by two liver flukes belonging to the genus Fasciola. Iran is among the endemic areas for this disease. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of human fasciolosis in Iran. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science (WoS), and Google Scholar, as well as Iranian databases including Scientific Information Database (SID), Magiran and Irandoc from January 2000 to June 2016. In order to determine fasciolosis prevalence, the DerSimonian-Laird random model was used. In order to assess the heterogeneity among studies, I2 and Q tests were used. To investigate the source of heterogeneity, meta-regressions based on the year of publication and sample size were performed. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to ensure the stability of obtained results. Results: Eleven relevant studies were included. According to the data analysis a prevalence rate of 2% [95% CI 1-5] was found. No statistically significant relationship between gender and disease prevalence could be detected. We found an OR of developing fasciolosis of 1.67 [95% CI: 0.42 - 6.60] in people who had consumed vegetables versus those who did not eat vegetables, even though this did not yield statistical significance. Conclusion: The findings of the current study can be valuable and help the health-care workers and policy-makers in programming and implementing ad hoc interventions in order to prevent the incidence of disease.