Diagnosis of Cystic Echinococcosis in Central Peru

Sample size: 949 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Gavidia Cesar M., Gonzalez Armando E., Zhang Wenbao, McManus Donald P., Lopera Luis, Ninaquispe Berenice, Garcia Hector H., Rodríguez Silvia, Verastegui Manuela, Calderon Carmen, Pan William K.Y., Gilman Robert H.

Primary Institution: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, San Borja, Lima, Peru

Hypothesis

What is the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in the central Peruvian Highlands using various diagnostic methods?

Conclusion

Cystic echinococcosis is highly endemic in the central Peruvian Highlands, but the performance of serologic tests in the field is limited.

Supporting Evidence

The prevalence of liver cysts was found to be 4.7% and pulmonary cysts 1.1%.
Seropositivity rates were 8.9% for IBCF and 19.7% for rEpC1-GST.
Ultrasonography showed a higher prevalence of cystic echinococcosis compared to serologic tests.
The study confirmed that CE is highly endemic in Peru.
Participants with larger cysts had higher seropositivity rates.
Only 2.8% of participants were positive by both serologic tests.
Most liver cysts were classified as inactive and calcified.

Takeaway

This study looked at how many people in a part of Peru have a disease called cystic echinococcosis, which is caused by a parasite. They found a lot of people have it, but the tests to find it aren't very good.

Methodology

The study used ultrasonography, radiography, and two serologic tests to evaluate the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in 949 participants from rural communities.