The Prevalence of some Intestinal Parasites in Food-Handlers of Asian and African Countries: A Meta-Analysis

Background & Aims of the Study: Parasitic infections are common in many countries, especially in developing countries and tropical areas. People who deal with foods can be a threat to health of communities. This meta-analysis study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of parasitic infections, such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica, and Giardia lamblia, among the food staff in Asian and African countries. Materials & Methods: We systematically searched Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, Proquest, Scopus, and Springer databases. In this meta-analysis, only the cross-sectional studies conducted from 1970 to October 2013 were selected. After searching by the main keywords, 23 papers were found that after applying the inclusion criteria, 11 articles remained. I2 and T2 coefficients were used to find heterogeneity in the studies. Then, random effect model was applied for data analysis by Stata-12 software. Results: The pooled effect size, T2, and I2 for E. coli were 0.041 (CI 95%: 0.009-0.073), 0.004, and 88.9%, respectively. For A. lumbricoides, the pooled effect size was 0.017 (CI 95%: 0.012-0.022), T2 was 0.002, and I2 was 87.2%. These measures were respectively obtained as 0.026 (CI95%: 0.014-0.038), 0.003, and 88.5% for E. histolytica. Ultimately, the pooled effect size, T2, and I2 for G. lamblia were 0.033 (CI 95%: 0.022-0.044), 0.004, and 85.7%, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence rate of some intestinal parasites was relatively low in the food-handlers in Asian and African countries compared to the previous studies. Also, high heterogeneity was obtained regarding the prevalence rate in these countries.