Tungiasis in the Sanumás amerindians in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil : prevalence, intensity and morbidity

• Autor(a) principal: Santana, Yago Ranniere Teixeira
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Oliveira, Lucas Felipe Carvalho, Lima, Gabriela Mafra, Timbó, Renata Velôzo, Pires, Eliane Mateus, Brito, Amanda Ramos de, Martins, Ana Carolina Tardin, Magalhães, Vivyanne Santiago, Faria, Ana Carolina Mota de, Ayala Urdapilleta, Ada Amalia, Roger, Isabelle, Andrade, Rafael Rocha de, Martins, Luciana Pereira Freire, Pellegrini, Marcos, Carvalho, Fabíola Christian Almeida de, Araújo, David Dias, Barroso, Daniel Holanda, Garcia, Carina Nogueira, Feldmeier, Hermann, Gomes, Ciro Martins
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UnB
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio2.unb.br/jspui/handle/10482/47689; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8080386; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6332-3227; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1989-7412; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6408-9831; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8594-0015; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3069-6884
• topic: Tungíase; Indígenas; Doenças infecciosas

Background: Tungiasis is a disease associated with extreme poverty. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of tungiasis in six different settlements of the Sanumás indigenous community in a remote area in the Auaris region, Yanomami territory, Brazil. Methods: We conducted an observational study to detect clinical and epidemiological factors associated with tungiasis using a cross-sectional strategy and multivariate logistic regression. Soil analysis was performed by visual and microscopic methods. Results: We examined 555 persons, 45 of whom had active tungiasis; 18 cases were classified as mild, 16 as moderate and 11 as severe. The disease was significantly more prevalent in children than in adults (odds ratio (OR) 15.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.34–67.91; p < 0.001). Soil infestation was significantly related to the occurrence of human tungiasis (OR = 12.29; 95% CI = 3.75–45.88). The sex and GPS location of the houses were not related to the occurrence of tungiasis. Conclusions: We conclude that tungiasis is an important problem in the Sanumás community, especially for children. We suggest that interruption of the off-host transmission cycle, together with regular treatment [human and animal interventions], must be prioritized to achieve control of tungiasis in indigenous populations.