Australian beef producers' knowledge and attitudes relating to hydatid disease are associated with their control practices.

Despite available control strategies, hydatid disease in beef cattle has been shown to have a wider geographic range and higher prevalence than previously recognised in Australia. The aim of the current study was to determine whether producer knowledge and attitudes are associated with farm management practices that could influence transmission among domestic dogs, wildlife, livestock and humans. Between June and August 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted among beef producers throughout Australia (N = 62). Producers were asked to complete an online survey to obtain information on their knowledge about hydatid disease, their attitudes towards the disease and their farm management practices that could affect transmission. Descriptive statistics were conducted to investigate potential predictors for practices that might influence transmission of the parasite. A Bayesian network (BN) model was then constructed to evaluate the interrelationships between variables. The results show that most respondents (87 %; 54/62) had heard of hydatid disease. However, only 61 % of respondents knew how hydatid disease is transmitted (38/62) and only half knew how to prevent transmission (52 %; 32/62). Of respondents that knew that hydatid disease could affect humans (44/62), many did not think their family was at risk (46 %, 20/44) because they dewormed their dogs and prevented their dogs' access to offal. However, most respondents who owned dogs did not deworm their dogs frequently enough to prevent patency of Echinococcus granulosus infection (86 %; 49/57). Almost all respondents (94 %; 58/62) said they would take action if they found out their cattle were infected. BN analysis revealed that implementation of practices that could reduce the risk of hydatid disease transmission were associated with producers' knowledge and attitudes. In the model, practices were most influenced by attitudes (percentage change in variance = 42 %). All respondents in the "hydatid prevention" practices group were in the "good" knowledge group and the "less concerned" attitudes group. In comparison, most of the respondents in the "standard husbandry" practices group were in the "poor" knowledge group and the "more concerned" attitudes group. In summary, the results indicate that greater knowledge of hydatid disease among beef producers is associated with practices that reduce hydatid risk and attitudes of less concern about hydatid impact on properties. Therefore, increasing producer knowledge is warranted to encourage adoption and improvement of hydatid prevention practices and would be well received by beef producers.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with echinococcosis patients in Tibetan communities in Shiqu County, China: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: Echinococcosis is a chronic neglected zoonotic disease with high endemic in western China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in patients with echinococcosis in Tibetan communities for investigating the physical and mental health challenges faced by the echinococcosis patients and meeting community health needs. METHODS: The HRQoL was measured with 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire in the case-control study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: 50 echinococcosis patients were collected in study group and divided into three subgroups by the duration of staying on albendazole tablets. 52 healthy individuals were collected in control group. In physical quality of life, the duration of staying on albendazole tables influenced the PF (F = 6.661, P < 0.001), RP (F = 3.130, P = 0.029), and GH (F = 4.105, P = 0.008). In mental quality of life, the duration of staying on albendazole tables influenced the SF (F = 10.764, P < 0.001) and RE (F = 5.573, P = 0.001). The income level was the important confounder in PF (F = 11.515, P = 0.001), GH (F = 10.315, P = 0.002), VT (F = 5.984, P = 0.016), and MH (F = 5.565, P = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: The HRQoL in people with echinococcosis is reduced in comparison with the healthy individuals. It is necessary to shorten the duration of treatment and adopt the special methods adapting the local culture to improve the health-related quality of life in Tibetan communities. Meanwhile, the economic improvement is the foundation.

Psychological burden and resilience factors in patients with Alveolar Echinococcosis - A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a parasitic zoonosis resembling malignancy due to its clinically silent infiltrative growth, predominately in the liver. The comorbid psychological burden and fear of disease progression in AE patients have hardly been examined to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate depression, anxiety, quality of life, and fear of disease progression in AE patients. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a cross-sectional study, n = 57 AE patients were invited to report on depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), somatic symptom load (SSS 8), trauma symptoms (PTSS-10), quality of life (SF-12) and on fear of disease progression (FoP-Q-SF) using validated psychometric instruments. Furthermore, attachment style was assessed (RQ-2). N = 47 patients completed the questionnaires (response rate 82.5%). Depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom load were above norm sample means, while physical quality of life was below norm sample means. Existing traumatic symptoms were comparable to those in cancer patients, while fear of disease progression even exceeded cancer patient scores. Patients with a secure attachment style showed less pronounced psychological burden than patients with other attachment styles. Adequate, guideline-based depression and anxiety treatment was very rarely installed. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The present study revealed remarkable levels of psychological burden in AE patients. In our study sample, we discovered high depression and anxiety levels, a significant reduction of physical quality of life, and fear of disease progression. These results show how important it is for AE patients to be thoroughly assessed with regard to psychological symptoms and mental disorders so that those in need can receive sufficient psychosocial support and treatment according to official guidelines.

Health-related quality of life in patients with alveolar echinococcosis: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: The Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare zoonosis caused by the parasite Echinococcus multilocularis. To date, nothing is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with AE. The aim of the study was to evaluate the HRQoL in patients with AE in comparison of the healthy population. METHODS: We used the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire to evaluate the HRQoL. The SF-36 scales have a range of 0-100 (0 represents the worst and 100 the most favourable state of health). SAS Version 9.2 was used for the statistical analysis of AE-cases (n = 30) and the healthy control group (n = 35). RESULTS: The analysis showed that the HRQoL in people with AE is reduced in comparison with the control population. The study group consisted of 15 (50.0%) men and 15 (50.0%) women; the control group of 16 (45.7%) men and 19 (54.3%) women. The mean age was 55.73 ± 16.65 years, while that of the control group was 54.57 ± 15.34 years. The physical quality of life in patients with AE (45.21 ± 11.42) was not significantly less than that of the control group (50.54 ± 10.52); p = 0.0568. Nevertheless, AE-patients show lower SF-36 scores for the physical quality of life. For the mental quality of life, patients with AE had a significantly lower score (45.46 ± 10.57) than the control group (51.57 ± 9.04); p = 0.0154. CONCLUSIONS: The HRQoL in people with AE is reduced in comparison with a control population. Assessment of the physical and mental quality of life in patients with AE may help to evaluate the patient outcome.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards cystic echinococcosis in livestock among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda.

A cross-sectional study was done from March 2013 to May 2014 to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatidosis among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to 381 respondents. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to find the relationship between knowledge about CE and factors such as age, sex, and level of education across all regions. The odds ratio and confidence interval were used to determine the difference in responses across regions. It was shown that age above 36 years was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with awareness about CE in livestock. Likewise, uneducated (p < 0.0001) and agro-pastoralists (p = 0.01) were significantly less knowledgeable than the educated and pastoralists across all regions. The overall knowledge towards CE in livestock was low 17.8% (95% CI = 14.0-21.6). Dog ownership was high and they never dewormed their freely roaming dogs. Dogs shared water with livestock. In conclusion, knowledge about CE in livestock was low across all regions. Therefore, public health education and formulation of policies towards its control by the relevant stakeholders should be done. Also, the true prevalence of CE in livestock needs to be done so that the magnitude and its public health significance are elucidated.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of 50 Patients with Surgically Treated Cystic Echinococcosis from Basrah Province, Iraq.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is recognised worldwide as a neglected disease of public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The objectives of this study were to describe, using a questionnaire survey, the characteristics, attitudes, knowledge, and practices of patients with CE from Basrah Province, Iraq. We interviewed 50 patients, 31 female and 19 male, of whom, 74% originated from rural areas. Approximately half (48%) of the participants reported slaughtering livestock at home for their families' consumption; 78% indicated the presence of a large number of stray dogs roaming freely about their village; 86% reported that they never boiled water prior to drinking it; and 26% reported not washing vegetables prior to eating them. Although a large proportion of the participants (72%) had heard of hydatid disease prior to becoming ill, over half (57%) were not aware how the disease was transmitted from animals to humans. This study highlighted a gap in health education efforts regarding CE in Southern Iraq, with a lack of counselling of patients on how to prevent reinfection. An intensive control programme should be implemented and founded on health education to reduce CE disease in Basrah.

Role of dog behaviour and environmental fecal contamination in transmission of Echinococcus multilocularis in Tibetan communities.

On the Eastern Tibetan Plateau region (Sichuan province, China) dogs are regarded as important definitive hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis. We studied dog spatial behaviour in 4 Tibetan villages in order to determine the role of dogs in environmental contamination and their potential interactions with small mammal intermediate hosts. We identified definitive host species and Echinococcus spp. infection status of feces collected in the field by PCR methods and analysed the spatial distribution of canid feces. Nocturnal space utilization of GPS collared dogs in and around villages was also undertaken. E. multilocularis DNA was amplified in 23% of dog feces (n=142) and in 15% of fox feces (n=13) but this difference was not significant. However, dog feces were more frequently observed (78% of collected feces) than fox feces and are therefore assumed to largely contribute to human environment contamination. Feces were mainly distributed around houses of dog owners (0-200 m) where collared dogs spent the majority of their time. Inside villages, the contamination was aggregated in some micro-foci where groups of dogs defecated preferentially. Finally, small mammal densities increased from the dog core areas to grasslands at the periphery of villages occasionally used by dogs; male dogs moving significantly farther than females. This study constitutes a first attempt to quantify in a spatially explicit way the role of dogs in E. multilocularis peri-domestic cycles and to identify behavioural parameters required to model E. multilocularis transmission in this region.

[Cerebral hydatic cyst and psychiatric disorders. Two cases]. / Kyste hydatique cérébral et troubles psychiatriques. A propos de deux cas.

The hydatidosis is an endemic illness in regions of the Middle Orient, Mediterranean, south of America, north Africa and the Australia. The preferential localization of cyst hydatic is the liver (48%), the lung (36%) and in 6% of cases it localizes in unaccustomed place as the brain. Intracerebral localization is relatively rare, its impact is 1 to 5% of all cases of hydatidose. This localization is the child's appendage with a masculine predominance. The cyst hydatic intracranien is often lone, of localization usually supratentorielle, sometimes infratentorielle. Symptoms are especially the diffuse headache associated to various neurological signs in relation with sits of the tumor. The psychiatrics symptoms depends on its localization, sides, intracranial hypertension, and the previous personality. In 15 to 20% of cases these tumors can appear in the beginning of their evolution by the isolated psychiatric symptoms. We report the case of two patients that have been hospitalized first in the Academic Psychiatric Unit of Marrakech for isolates psychiatric disorders and whose scanning revealed the presence of cerebral hydatic cyst and that required a surgical intervention in neurosurgery. Case 1 - Patient 29 years old, bachelor, uneducated, leaving in country outside, fermar, in permanent contact with dogs. No particular medical history. The patient has been brought by his family to the psychiatric emergencies after behavior disorders. The beginning of his symptomatology was one year ago by behavior disorders: instability, violence, isolation, and a corporo-sartorial carelessness. His symptomatology worsened and the patient became very aggressive. In psychiatric unit, he was disregarded, sad, anguished, indifferent to his state, very dissonant, completely detached, depersonalized. He brought back some visual and auditory hallucinations with attitude of monitoring. He was raving with delirium of persecution, of ideas of reference and delirium of bewithment. He was unconscious of his disorders. The patient has first been put under classical neuroleptic 9 mg/day of Haloperidol and 200 mg/day of chlorpromazine. The diagnosis of schizophrenia has been kept according to criteria of DSM IV. The PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) was to 137 (score on a positive scale was to 34, score on a negative scale was to 35 and the general psychopathologie scale was to 58). One week after his hospitalization, he developed headache with subconfusion, a cerebral scanning has been made in emergency and showed a voluminous cyst in oval foramen compressing the mesencephalon strongly. The cyst was well limited, hypodense, not taking the contrast, and without intracerebral oedema, the diagnosis of cerebral hydatic cyst has been made. The complementary exploration didn't show any other localizations, and biologic exam results didn't show any particular anomalies. The patient has been operated in neurosurgery. The immediate evolution was favorable with disappearance of confusion and absence of complications. The patient was lost of view. Six months after, the patient has been readmitted to the psychiatric emergency. He dropped his neuroleptic treatment. He was aggressive, raving, hallucinated and depersonalized. The global score to the PANSS was 63. He has been put back under neuroleptics. Three weeks after improvement and passage of the PANSS to 30, the patient went out. We couldn't have a cerebral scanner of control because the patient had no medical assurance and no money for cerebral scanner. Case 2 - Patient aged of 53 years, father of four children, uneducated, native and resident of Marrakech, confectioner as profession. He is in contact with dogs since 12 years. He has been brought to the psychiatric emergencies by his family after an agitation. The history of his illness seemed to go back at eight months ago, by the progressive apparition of an instability, sleep disorders, hostility, associated with an emotional lability. To the interview he was agitated and had a delirium of persecution. He was convinced that his wife and his children plotted against him. He had sad mood. He was anguished and had auditory and visual hallucinations. The patient was not confused but it had a hypoproxie, an fixing amnesia, a disorders of judgment and a light left hemiparesia. Cerebral scanner revealed three cerebral cyst. The first measuring 42 x 40 mm, sitting at the level parietal right, to the contact of the occipital horn, dragging his/her/its amputation and an effect of mass on ventricle homolateral, the median line and ventricle controlateral. The two other, at the level of the center semi oval, behind the first, measuring 23 mm and 15 mm on the big axis. The patient has been addressed in neurosurgery. He had a completeray exploration to search other localizations. The thoracic x-ray showed 2 pulmonary cyts. The abdominal scan and imagery by magnetic resonance showed liver cyst, peri-heart cyst and mediastinal cyst. The patient has been operated for these three cysts with good recuperation on the psychiatric and neurological symptoms. He has been addressed in heart surgery for the heart localization. The hydatidose is an endemic illness in Morocco and constitute a public health problem. The cerebral localization is rare and appear by signs of cerebral hypertension and signs of focusing. The psychiatric demonstrations are rare but preserve a major interest, by the therapeutic measure specificity that they impose. Of course, the surgical ablation of the tumor can be sufficient to attenuate the psychiatric symptoms but the recourse to a specific treatment can prove to be necessary to act on the precise targets. We are conscious of the methodological difficulties that present these 2 cases but there are unfortunately due to the financial difficulties of our patients.