Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Feb 27, 2024; 16(2): 229-240
Published online Feb 27, 2024. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i2.229
Epidemiological survey of cystic echinococcosis in southwest China: From the Qinghai-Tibet plateau to the area of Yunnan
Jin-Rong Zi, Dan Xiao, Jia Peng, Fang-Wei Wu, Jian-Xiong Li, Xin-Liu Yan, Zheng-Qing Wang, Xuan Cai, Qian Xu, Ben-Fu Li, Ya-Ming Yang
Jin-Rong Zi, Ben-Fu Li, Yunnan Provincial Center of Malaria Research, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Puer 665000, Yunnan Province, China
Jin-Rong Zi, Jia Peng, Fang-Wei Wu, Jian-Xiong Li, Xin-Liu Yan, Zheng-Qing Wang, Xuan Cai, Qian Xu, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Puer 665000, Yunnan Province, China
Dan Xiao, Tibet Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tibet Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lhasa 85000, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Ya-Ming Yang, Yunnan Provincial Center of Malaria Research, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Puer 655000, Yunnan Province, China
Co-first authors: Jin-Rong Zi and Dan Xiao.
Co-corresponding authors: Ben-Fu Li and Ya-Ming Yang.
Author contributions: Yang YM, Li BF and Wu FW designed the research study; Zi JR and Xiao D contributed equally to this work, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Peng J, Li JX, Yan XL, Wang ZQ, Cai X and Xu Q analyzed and interpreted the data; contributed analytical tools or data; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Li BF and Yang YM designed the research study, investigation and analysis. Zi JR and Xiao D analyzed and interpreted the data; contributed analytical tools or data; wrote the paper. Li BF and Yang YM conceived and designed the experiments; analyzed and interpreted the data. Li BF and Yang YM proposed the concept and design of the epidemiological investigation of echinococcosis in Yunnan Province, wrote investigation plans, coordinated with investigated hospitals, guided on-site work, and reviewed investigation data. Co-first authors Zi JR and Xiao D are responsible for specific work, including on-site investigation, data organization, database entry, summarization, analysis, and writing of the manuscript.
Supported by Central Government Transfer Payment of China; Open Project of Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis Control and Research of the National Health Commission of People’s Republic of China, No. 2021WZK1001.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases.
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent in relation to personal and medical data collection prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ben-Fu Li, MMed, Technician, Yunnan Provincial Center of Malaria Research, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, No. 6 Xiyuan Road, Puer 665000, Yunnan Province, China. libefu@163.com
Received: October 5, 2023
Peer-review started: October 5, 2023
First decision: October 28, 2023
Revised: November 18, 2023
Accepted: December 14, 2023
Article in press: December 14, 2023
Published online: February 27, 2024
Processing time: 145 Days and 10.5 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Ten cases of echinococcosis were in hospital in 1978, and surgical cases were 24 from 1981 to 2001 in Yunnan Province. An epidemiological survey of echinococcosis in 2012 and 2016 showed cases of echinococcosis in Yunnan Province. It is important to understand the spatial distribution and epidemiological characteristics of echinococcosis in Yunnan for the prevention and control of the disease.

Research motivation

To understand the species and sources of echinococcosis in Yunnan Province using a retrospective investigation and epidemiological analysis. Based on the local epidemic species of echinococcosis corresponding prevention and control measures can then be taken to effectively control the spread and prevalence of echinococcosis in Yunnan Province.

Research objectives

Cystic echinococcus is the main hydatid disease that has a medium prevalence. The aim of this study was to prevent and control echinococcosis and to reduce the risk of infection in Yunnan Province.

Research methods

The cases were retrospectively epidemiologically investigated and analyzed in hospitals, Centers for Disease Control, and China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research results

A total of 397 cases were found in 89 counties in Yunnan Province, 55.6% of cases were in endemic areas, and 44.4% of cases were in non-endemic areas. The highest number of cases was 50 (2017). Confirmed and clinical cases accounted for 62.5% and 37.5%, respectively. However, 90.9% of the cases with hydatid disease were reported by the hospital system, and only 9.1% of the cases with hydatid disease were found in the community through active screening.

Research conclusions

Cases of echinococcosis were reported throughout the entire Yunnan Province, with the majority distributed in Western Yunnan, suggesting that echinococcosis control should be strengthened in this area. Tracing hydatid disease cases, taking local infection cases as clues, and investigating local infection in villages were carried out, which effectively blocked the spread of hydatid disease.

Research perspectives

Trace the source of cases, block the source of infection, and effectively control hydatid disease.