Prevalence and associated risk factors of waterborne parasitic infections in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand: A systematic review and meta-analysis

• Main Authors: Villanueva, Francesca Frigillana, Libre, Franco Almino B., Paras, Ryan T.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Parasites > Infections > Philippines; Parasites > Infections > Malaysia; Parasites > Infections > Thailand; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/31; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1033/viewcontent/2023_Villanueva_Libre_Paras_Prevalence_and_Associated_Risk_Factors_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Waterborne parasitic infections (WPIs) caused by pathogenic parasites found in water are among the major public health problems in developing countries in Southeast Asia. These parasites are not well-monitored or reported, resulting in an underestimation of their prevalence. This meta-analysis aims to determine the pooled prevalence and risk factors of WPIs in Southeast Asia, specifically in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. A total of 60 articles were systematically collected from online public international databases using the search terms "waterborne parasitic infections," "prevalence," "associated risk factors," and "Asia." Of the 60 articles reviewed, only 21 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of WPIs in Southeast Asia was determined, with Acanthamoeba spp. being the most prevalent (40.30%), followed by Naegleria sp. (11.97%), Giardia spp. (8.54%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (4.51%). Malaysia had the highest pooled prevalence of WPIs (15.35%), followed by Thailand (2.61%) and the Philippines (2.61%). Acanthamoeba spp. was found to be the most prevalent in Malaysia (49.25%), followed by the Philippines (32.57%) and Thailand (29.10%). For Cryptosporidium spp., the highest pooled prevalence was found in Thailand (29.51%), then Malaysia (20.27%) and the Philippines (2.43%). The highest pooled prevalence of Giardia spp. was found in Malaysia (12.81%), Thailand (8.38%), then in the Philippines (2.40%). While Naegleria sp. was recorded the highest in Malaysia (86.05%) followed by the Philippines (7.69%) and lowest in Thailand (0.93%). The odds ratio for associated risk factors was determined, with gender (OR: 1.0, and 95% CI: 0.81-1.29), age (OR: 4.4, and 95% CI: 3.3-5.8), and behavior: the practice of proper cleanliness and sanitation (OR: 1.6, and 95% CI: 1.5-1.8) being strongly associated with WPIs in Southeast Asian countries, specifically in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. This study highlights the significant prevalence of WPIs with gender, age, and behavior or practice of proper cleanliness and sanitation being identified as significant risk factors.