Farmers’ knowledge and practices influencing Taenia solium infection in smallholder pigs in Mbozi and Mbeya Districts

Abstract

Taenia solium has been reported to be endemic in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Based on Ag-ELISA, prevalence of T. solium cysticercosis in pigs was reported to be about 31% in 2008 and 17% in 2015 in Mbeya and Mbozi districts of Mbeya and Songwe regions, respectively. This study aimed to estimate the current status the disease in pigs and understand farmers’ knowledge and practices influencing disease occurrence and transmission. T. solium cysticercosis in pigs was determined by tissue slicing while a questionnaire survey assessed farmers’ knowledge and practices. A total of 890 households were surveyed and 282 pigs examined. Only 18.5% of respondents knew T. solium taeniosis in humans, 32% of whom did not know how the infection is acquired. Also, 61.2% of respondents who had seen cysts in meat were not aware that consumption of the meat could cause cysticercosis. More than 90% of latrines were not enclosed and 45% of them were accessible by pigs. Twenty seven pigs (9.7%) had T. solium cysts, four of them had non-viable cysts (three with both viable  and non-viable cysts and one with non-viable cysts only). About a half (51.9%) of the pigs had light infection burden (0-100 cysts), 14.8% had moderate infection (101-1000 cysts) and 33.3% had heavy burden (>1000  cysts). The study revealed low levels of farmers’ knowledge and risk practices which may contribute to perpetuation of the disease. Improvement in the local knowledge of the disease epidemiology is suggested for inclusions in future control programs.