Serosurvey of Cystic Echinococcosis and Related Risk Factors for Infection in Fars Province, Southern Iran: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a common zoonotic infection in all provinces of Iran, especially in areas where people live on agriculture and animal husbandry. The current cross-sectional population-based study is aimed at determining the seroprevalence of CE in Kavar County, Fars province, southern Iran. Blood samples were collected from 1500 individuals (749 males and 751 females). Anti-hydatid cyst antibodies were detected, using a recombinant B8/1 antigen of Echinococcus graunlosus in an ELISA system. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find out the independent risk factor for CE seropositivity. Anti-hydatid cyst antibodies were detected in the sera of 131 out of 1500 participants, corresponding to a seroprevalence rate of 8.73%. With a statistically significant difference ( $p<0.05$ ), the seroprevalence of hydatid cyst in males and females was 5% and 7%, respectively. Differences in the seropositivity of hydatid cysts were also statistically significant by occupation ( $p<0.05$ ). The seroprevalence of hydatid cyst was significantly higher in the age group of 35-45 years than in other age groups ( $p<0.05$ ). Multivariate logistic regression showed that only age was associated with seropositivity to CE ( $\text{OR}=2.23$ , 95% CI: 1.33-3.72). Moreover, there was a statistically significant association between seropositivity to hydatid cysts and underlying diseases such as hypertension ( $p=0.049$ ) and fatty liver ( $p=0.048$ ). The findings of this study indicate that the seroprevalence rate of CE is relatively high in the Fars province, southern Iran, and this high rate of infection is mainly linked to people’s jobs and lifestyles.