Diagnosis of helminths depends on worm fecundity and the distribution of parasites within hosts.

ABSTRACT: Helminth transmission and morbidity are dependent on the number of mature parasites within a host; however, observing adult worms is impossible for many natural infections. An outstanding challenge is therefore relating routine diagnostics, such as faecal egg counts, to the underlying worm burden. This relationship is complicated by density-dependent fecundity (egg output per worm reduces due to crowding at high burdens) and the skewed distribution of parasites (majority of helminths aggregated in a small fraction of hosts). We address these questions for the carcinogenic liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini, which infects approximately 10 million people across Southeast Asia, by analysing five epidemiological surveys (n = 641) where adult flukes were recovered. Using a mechani

SUBMITTER: Crellen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9845982 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature