Relationship between male hydrocele and infection prevalences in clustered communities with uncertain transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti on the Thailand-Myanmar border
Bhumiratana, A.; Wattanakull, B.; Koyadun, S.; Suvannadabba, S.; Rojanapremsuk, J.; Tantiwattanasup, W.
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 33(1): 7-17
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0125-1562 PMID: 12118464 Document Number: 545374
A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in three clustered communities, belonging to a single small village in Mae Chan subdistrict, Umphang district, Tak Province, close to the Thailand-Myanmar border, where regular night blood survey have been discontinued since 1997 and no epidemiological study had been conducted. In order to understand prevalences of distribution of male hydrocele and infection in clinically diagnostic and epidemiologic implications in uncertain transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti, we analysed the relationship between male hydrocele and community infection prevalences in 219 (90.5% coverage) subjects aged >=1 year old, including 54.8% migratory and 45.2% local Karen inhabitants. Migratory inhabitants tended to have high prevalence of antigenaemia (p<0.05) and hydrocele. Overall rates of 23.7% antigenaemia, 3.7% microfilaremia, and 4.6% male hydrocele were observed. Male hydrocele prevalence was significantly correlated (r=0.348, p<0.0001) with antigenaemia prevalence, but not with microfilaraemia prevalence (r=0.065, p=0.493). However, high antigenaemia prevalence in local inhabitants was evident, particularly antigenaemia prevalence in children suggesting that transmission in the village may have occurred in recent years.