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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Parasitic infections common in kids in low-resource US communities   
      
      
     Date:   
         March 3, 2023   
     Source:   
         Washington University in St. Louis   
     Summary:   
         Neglected by government officials and medical professionals,   
         parasitic infections can lead to lifelong health consequences,   
         according to a biological anthropologist.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Most Americans view parasitic infections as a problem of the past or   
   one that only impacts low-income countries. However, new research from   
   Washington University in St. Louis finds evidence that the problem is   
   likely widespread in low-resource communities throughout southern United   
   States where environmental conditions combined with infrastructural   
   neglect and inadequate access to health care create the perfect breeding   
   ground for these infections.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   In a small, preliminary study published on March 2 in American Journal   
   of Human Biology, 38% of children sampled from a rural Mississippi   
   Delta community were found to have either parasitic worms or protist   
   infections -- a single-cell parasitic organisms that can negatively   
   impact intestinal health.   
      
   Parasitic infections are a neglected health issue in low-resource   
   communities, according to Theresa Gildner, study co-author and   
   assistant professor of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences at   
   WashU. School-age children are especially at risk for these infections   
   due to increased exposure through play, poor hand hygiene and their   
   still-developing immune systems.   
      
   Left untreated, the infections can lead to nutritional deficiencies and   
   lifelong health consequences. Gildner said many of the community members   
   they worked with during this project expressed frustration with state   
   and federal governments that do not listen to their concerns related to   
   these issues.   
      
   "This is a failure of all levels of government to provide basic services   
   to vulnerable citizens. Health conditions -- including parasitic and   
   intestinal infections -- linked with poor sanitation will likely worsen   
   in coming years as climate change and associated extreme weather events   
   further strain already weak infrastructure systems," said Gildner,   
   an expert on parasitic disease and health disparities.   
      
   According to Gildner, President Biden's infrastructure bill is a step   
   in the right direction, but more work is needed in the near future to   
   invest in crumbling infrastructure.   
      
   "I do not know if President Biden's infrastructure bill will directly help   
   the communities where we have worked -- we haven't heard anything from our   
   community partners -- but I think there could be indirect benefits. For   
   instance, drawing more attention to the immediate need for investment in   
   failing infrastructure may lead to more localized projects that benefit   
   these communities," she said.   
      
   But any efforts to address these infrastructure needs should start   
   with direct and respectful community engagement by locally elected   
   officials. After all, she said, "Individuals living in these communities   
   have the best sense of what the issues are through their lived experiences   
   and may have ideas for what is most needed to improve conditions in their   
   specific community."  This is a failure of all levels of government to   
   provide basic services to vulnerable citizens. Health conditions --   
   including parasitic and intestinal infections -- linked with poor   
   sanitation will likely worsen in coming years as climate change   
   and associated extreme weather events further strain already weak   
   infrastructure systems.   
      
   About the research Understanding U.S. infection patterns -- including   
   the current extent of parasitic infections and key sources of exposure --   
   is critical to improving health outcomes, Gildner said. Previous studies   
   in the U.S. have been case- based or focused exclusively on immigrant   
   populations. Very few surveys have been conducted in regions with the   
   most risk factors for exposure.   
      
   In the summer of 2019, members of the Rural Embodiment and Community   
   Health (REACH) research team -- led by Gildner and Tara J. Cepon-Robins,   
   associate professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado Colorado   
   Springs (UCCS), and including WashU biologist Elizabeth K. Mallott and   
   former UCCS undergraduate student Isabella C. Recca -- traveled to the   
   rural Mississippi Delta to conduct preliminary research in the community.   
      
   They chose to direct their focus on a small, predominantly Black, rural   
   community that is frequently affected by flooding and sewage backups   
   due to community-reported infrastructural neglect.   
      
   In total, 24 children -- including 12 boys and 12 girls ranging in   
   age from infant to 14 years old -- from 12 households participated in   
   the study.   
      
   Altogether, 38% of the children were found to have one or both types of   
   parasitic infections.   
      
   Contrary to expectations, they found no significant differences in   
   infection status based on age, sex or household size, although Gildner   
   acknowledges that could be due to the relatively small sample size. She   
   hopes ongoing research with a larger dataset will allow the team to   
   better test these patterns in the near future.   
      
   Last summer, the team collected additional samples from adults and in the   
   same Mississippi community, as well as in East St. Louis in a community   
   facing similar issues related to failing infrastructure, persistent   
   flooding and sewage backups, Gildner said. The team also is analyzing soil   
   samples collected from various shared community spaces during the 2022   
   trip to better examine these patterns. And plans are underway to collect   
   additional data in other Mississippi Delta communities this summer.   
      
   Education is key Lack of education is one of the reasons why parasitic   
   infections often go undetected.   
      
   "One interesting thing that we noticed during our 2019 visit to   
   Mississippi is that some of the grandparents we spoke to were aware of   
   the threat posed by parasite infections locally because they had heard   
   of these issues as children," Gildner said. "One grandparent told us   
   they remembered public health educational programs that discussed the   
   risks posed by hookworm infection and encouraged community members to   
   wear shoes outdoors to prevent infection.   
      
   "However, that messaging stopped after their early childhood and they had   
   always wondered why no one talked about these infections anymore. This   
   kind of messaging could be relatively straightforward to implement,   
   although basic information on key parasite infections would have to   
   be provided since many people are no longer aware of these diseases."   
   Even health care providers often assume that parasitic infection risk   
   is greatest for Americans traveling abroad. Educating health care   
   providers about the threat posed by parasitic infections in the U.S.,   
   how to recognize symptoms and test appropriately is key.   
      
   "Without this basic medical knowledge, diagnoses may be missed and   
   treatment delayed," Gildner said. "For instance, one participant this   
   past summer had been diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium we   
   have recently started studying that can cause stomach ulcers and certain   
   gastric cancers in severe cases. However, she told us it took months and   
   visits to multiple doctors before she was properly tested and diagnosed,   
   in large part due to the assumption that symptomatic cases of this   
   bacterial infection aren't a significant concern in the U.S."  Although it   
   is an option for regions suffering from heavy parasitic infection rates,   
   preventative mass drug administration is not a practical first step to   
   addressing the problem, Gildner explained. There's not enough public   
   awareness of the conditions and the safe effective drugs used to treat   
   common parasite infections are incredibly expensive in the U.S., she said.   
      
   However, Gildner would like to see more government investment in research   
   at other locations across the U.S. to help clarify the current extent   
   of parasite infections and identify key sources of exposure that could   
   be targeted to improve health outcomes.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Kidney_Disease # Health_Policy # Public_Health_Education   
                   # Cystic_Fibrosis   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Pests_and_Parasites # Biology # Virology # Fungus   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Medicine o Dog_skin_disorders o Veterinary_medicine o   
             Antiviral_drug o Physical_therapy o Nutrition o HPV_vaccine   
             o Lead   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Washington_University_in_St._Louis. Original written by Sara Savat. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Tara J. Cepon‐Robins, Elizabeth K. Mallott, Isabella C. Recca,   
         Theresa E. Gildner. Evidence and potential drivers of neglected   
         parasitic helminth and protist infections among a small preliminary   
         sample of children from rural Mississippi. American Journal of   
         Human Biology, 2023; DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23889   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230303105241.htm   
      
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