Strongyloidiasis is a life-threatening and often overlooked parasitic infection that affects an estimated 300 to 600 million people worldwide, with the highest burden in low- and middle-income countries. Caused by a parasitic roundworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, this infection can lead to severe illness and death, especially in individuals with weakened immune systems.

New WHO guidelines for controlling the disease recommend mass treatment with ivermectin in areas where the disease is endemic. However, the lack of reliable data across many African regions makes it difficult to implement targeted control programs. This project aims to address that data gap by estimating and comparing the burden of strongyloidiasis in rural and urban settings in Côte d’Ivoire. By using serologic testing to detect exposure to Strongyloides stercoralis, the team will evaluate whether infection rates are significantly higher in rural areas, or if urban settings also carry substantial disease burden.

The long-term goal is to use the data to build a predictive model that incorporates epidemiologic, environmental, and climate variables to estimate strongyloidiasis risk and support precision mapping approaches to target treatment to the areas most in need. This model will help guide more cost-effective surveillance and treatment programs, both in Côte d’Ivoire and in other endemic regions.

“We hope our research helps determine efficient and precise mapping strategies for strongyloidiasis risk to support the implementation of new WHO guideline-directed public health control programs,” says Nathan Lo, MD PhD, a principal investigator and assistant professor in the Stanford Department of Medicine.

Principal Investigators:

Nathan Lo, MD PhD – Assistant Professor Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine

Mathew Kiang, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health,
Stanford University School of Medicine

Research Team:

Jean Coulibaly, PhD – Associate Professor, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Cote d’Ivoire (CSRS), Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny (UFHB)

Samantha Bents, BA – PhD Student, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER), Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Funder:

Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health