Household factors associated with the presence of human hydatid disease in three rural communities of Junin, Peru

Abstract

Introduction. Hydatid disease, a zoonosis caused by the larval stage of the parasite Echinococcus granulosus, is a public health problem at national level, especially in those regions dedicated to raising livestock. By now, there are many factors, at individual level, that have been associated to the infection by E. granulosus; nevertheless there is not any previous report that explore the association between household characteristics and the presence of the disease among household members. Objective. To explore the association between household characteristics and the presence of hydatid disease among household members. Material and methods. We performed a cross-sectional study in the households of 3 rural communities located in Junín, we evaluated the association between household characteristics and the presence of hydatid disease by multiple logistic regression (MLR). Results. from 417 evaluated households, 56 (13%) of them had at least one positive case among its members. Multivariate analysis showed that households with three or more members, located in the community with the lowest quintile of poverty, that reported raising livestock, and with evaluation coverage greater than 25% were more likely to have at least one positive case among its members. Conclusion. The observed characteristics be taken into account in the preliminary definition of high-risk subgroups, optimizing the use of resources and improving the effectiveness of screening programs.