Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Taenia solium Cysticercosis and Taeniasis among Children in Nigeria, 2018

Children are vulnerable to Taenia solium, a parasitic tapeworm causing cysticercosis (a common cause of epilepsy) and taeniasis. We sought to better understand T. solium prevalence and associated risk factors in Nigeria using data from a 2018 nationally representative household survey estimating HIV incidence. We used a multiplex bead assay to determine the seroprevalence of T. solium IgG antibodies to T24H (cysticercosis) and rES33 (taeniasis) for 32,494 children aged <15 years. Positive antibodies against each antigen were detected in children from all states, with an overall antibody seroprevalence of 6.0% for T24H (range, 1.4-19.3%) and 2.8% for rES33 (range, 0.5-5.3%). Despite state-level variations, overall prevalence for each disease was higher in the north than in the south. We found greater odds of cysticercosis seropositivity among individuals with lower socioeconomic status (aOR = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.53-2.80) when comparing lowest to highest wealth quintile; with increasing age, showing higher odds in children aged 5-9 years (aOR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.77-2.34) and 10-14 years (aOR = 2.58; 95% CI = 2.22-2.99) compared with children aged <5 years; among households with pig ownership (aOR = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.00-1.83) compared with those without pigs; and among individuals living in rural areas (aOR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.06-1.51) compared with those in urban areas. For taeniasis, we found significant associations for children in the lowest wealth quintile (aOR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.30-2.76) and those from pig-owning households (aOR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.01-2.17). Significant taeniasis prevalence rates were identified even in predominantly Muslim populations. Targeted public health strategies to increase awareness of T. solium infections, highlighting hand hygiene and proper sanitation practices, and improved pig management can help reduce transmission.