Cross-sectional study on malaria and enteric pathogens coinfection among children in the Kumbungu district of Ghana

Malaria-enteric pathogen coinfection (MEPC) can have more severe and complicated clinical consequences, which could result in high rates of morbidity and mortality. In areas where both malaria and enteric illnesses are endemic, MEPC poses a serious threat to public health. This study investigated MEPC among children in Kumbungu District, Northern Ghana. The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional conducted between March 2024 and December 2024. Whole blood and stool samples were collected from each participant. Blood films were prepared for malaria parasite detection. Additionally, stool cultures for bacterial pathogens, and stool routine examinations and concentration methods were carried out for the presence of enteric pathogens. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine the associations between the dependent and independent variables. At a p-value of < 0.05, the associations were deemed statistically significant. For this study, 239 children aged 12 or less were recruited, of whom 152 (63.6%) were male. The study reported median ages (interquartile ranges) for the children as 1.67 years (1.0–3.0). Overall, 4 (1.7%) bacterial pathogens were isolated from the stool samples, comprising Salmonella spp. (3) and E. coli (1). Furthermore, of the 25 parasites found, 6 (24.0%) were Hymenolepis nana , and 19 (76.0%) were Giardia duodenalis . Participants who tested positive for Plasmodium falciparum were 26, resulting in a prevalence of 10.9%. Only 1 individual (0.4%) tested positive for MEPC. Disposal of refuse was significantly associated with enteric pathogens ( p = 0.014). This study recorded a substantially low prevalence of coinfection, involving intestinal pathogens and malaria parasites ( P. falciparum ), in the study population. Statistically, this study did not find significant association between the coinfections. However, the mode of disposal of refuse was significantly associated with enteric pathogens among the study population.