Transmission of helminth eggs through hands in a high-risk community
A new method to quantify the presence helminth eggs on hands was tested among a group of farmers in Vietnam
Abstract
Background: The role that hands play in the transmission of Ascaris is not well understood.
Methods: A newly developed method to quantify the presence helminth eggs on hands was tested among a group of farmers in Vietnam. High turbidity in hand rinse samples meant that the adopted sugar solution had to be replaced by zinc sulphate as a flotation solution.
Results: The survey found 34% (31/90) of study participant hands’ were positive for helminth eggs, though concentrations were low and ranged from 0–10 eggs/2 hands. The use of fresh excreta in agriculture was the only variable that showed an association with the concentrations of eggs found on hands.
Conclusions: The results highlight the need to promote handwashing with soap to prevent the transmission of soil-transmitted helminth infections.
Citation
Gulliver, F.; Jeandron, A.; Viet Anh Nguyen; Hong Anh Do; Ensink, J.H.J. Transmission of helminth eggs through hands in a high-risk community. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2014) : [DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/tru115]