Spatial patterns of intestinal parasite infections among children and adolescents in some indigenous communities in Argentina

Geospat Health. 2024 May 28;19(1). doi: 10.4081/gh.2024.1279.

Abstract

Argentina has a heterogeneous prevalence of infections by intestinal parasites (IPs), with the north in the endemic area, especially for soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). We analyzed the spatial patterns of these infections in the city of Tartagal, Salta province, by an observational, correlational, and cross-sectional study in children and adolescents aged 1 to 15 years from native communities. One fecal sample per individual was collected to detect IPs using various diagnostic techniques: Telemann sedimentation, Baermann culture, and Kato-Katz. Moran's global and local indices were applied together with SaTScan to assess the spatial distribution, with a focus on cluster detection. The extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) machine-learning model was used to predict the presence of IPs and their transmission pathways. Based on the analysis of 572 fecal samples, a prevalence of 78.3% was found. The most frequent parasite was Giardia lamblia (30.9%). High- and low-risk clusters were observed for most species, distributed in an east-west direction and polarized in two large foci, one near the city of Tartagal and the other in the km 6 community. Spatial XGBoost models were obtained based on distances with a minimum median accuracy of 0.69. Different spatial patterns reflecting the mechanisms of transmission were noted. The distribution of the majority of the parasites studied was aligned in a westerly direction close to the city, but the STH presence was higher in the km 6 community, toward the east. The purely spatial analysis provides a different and complementary overview for the detection of vulnerable hotspots and strategic intervention. Machine-learning models based on spatial variables explain a large percentage of the variability of the IPs.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Animals
  • Argentina / epidemiology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Feces* / parasitology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Indians, South American
  • Infant
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic* / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Spatial Analysis*