Skip to main content

Table 1 Prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in African countries (2010–2016)

From: Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Africa: current and future challenges

Country

Study population

Age group

Percentage positive for Giardia

(No. positive/No. tested)

Percentage positive for Cryptosporidium (No. positive/No. tested)

Diagnostic technique

Genotyping

(target gene)

Reference

Algeria

Patients with digestive disorders

≤ 80 years

3.6% (38/1042)

0.1% (1/1042)

Direct wet mount, formal ether concentration, iodine solution and acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[271]

Algeria

Sporadic cases

≤ 75 years

41.7% (25/542)

Iodine staining

Not genotyped

[272]

Angola

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

≤ 12 years

0.1% (44/328); 21.6% (73/338)

30.0% (101/337)

Iodine and acid fast staining, and immunoassay

Not genotyped

[273, 274]

Botswana

Children with diarrhoea

< 5 years

 

60.0% (45/75)

Not stated

Not genotyped

[41]

Burkina Faso

Patients with diarrhoea

All ages

 

26.5% (77/291)

Acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[275]

Cameroon

Individuals from Nloh and Bawa villages

Not specified

7.1% (14/197)

1.5% (3/194)

Immunoassay

Not genotyped

[276]

Cameroon

HIV/AIDS-positive and negative individuals

15–70 years

0.3% (1/396)

2.5% (10/396); 6.0% (12/200); 14.4% (46/320)

Direct microscopy, formal ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[277279]

Central Africa Republic

Employees at Dzanga-Sangha Park

Not specified

2.1% (1/48)

 

PCR

tpi

[122]

Central African Republic

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

Not stated; < 5 years

15.6% (27/173); 4.4% (29/666)

10.4% (18/173); 7.7% (51/666)

Merthiolate iodine formaldehyde concentration, acid fast staining, immunoassay and multiplex PCR

Not genotyped

[29, 280]

Chad

Individuals from different regions

≤ 76 years

3.5% (16/462)

 

Merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde concentration

Not genotyped

[281]

Chad

European military UN peace keepers

21–51 years

22.3% (55/247)

 

Direct microscopy and iodine staining

Not genotyped

[282]

Côte d’Ivoire

Individuals with intestinal disorders, persistent diarrhoea and controls

≥ 1 year

19.9% (61/307); 29.0% (39/136)

6.2% (19/307); 8.8% (12/136)

Direct microscopy, iodine staining, formol ethyl-acetate concentration, formalin-ether concentration, immunoassay and PCR

bg; 18S rRNA; COWP

[106, 283]

Côte d’Ivoire

Children

≤ 19 years

21.6% (66/306); 20.7% (25/121)

 

Direct microscopy, iodine staining, formol-ethyl acetate concentration, ether-concentration technique

Not genotyped

[284, 285]

Democratic Republic of Congo

HIV/AIDS-positive individuals

15–73 years

1.7% (3/175)

9.7% (17/175); 5.4% (13/242)

Modified Ritchie formalin-ether concentration, acid fast staining and PCR assay

18S rRNA

[28, 286]

Egypt

Individuals with livestock in their household

≤ 60 years

 

19.0% (55/290)

Acid fast staining

COWP

[108]

Egypt

Individuals with and without diarrhoea

All ages

12.5% (15/150) to 27.3% (75/330)

5.9% (23/391) to 72.2% (52/92

Direct microscopy, formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation, acid fast, iodine and trichrome staining, immunoassay and PCR

COWP; tpi; gdh; bg

[105, 121, 131, 287, 288]

Egypt

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

< 18 years

18.9% (224/1187) to 29.2% (47/161)

2.1% (15/707) to 49.1% (81/165)

Direct microscopy, modified Ritchie’s biphasic concentration, iodine and acid fast staining, immunoassay and PCR

18S rRNA; TRAP-C2; COWP; tpi; gdh; bg

[26, 80, 95, 132, 167, 289292]

Egypt

Mentally handicapped individuals

All ages

8.5% (17/200)

23.5% (47/200)

Trichrome and acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[293]

Egypt

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and controls

≤ 15 years

 

18.2% (10/55)

Acid fast staining and serum immunoassay

Not genotyped

[294]

Egypt

Municipality solid-waste workers

21–59 years

3.8% (13/346)

23.4% (81/346)

Formol-ether concentration and acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[67]

Equatorial Guinea

HIV-positive and negative individuals

≤ 76 years

14.2% (44/310); 4.2% (14/333)

2.7% (9/333) to 18.1% (31/171)

Direct microscopy, formol-ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining, Immunoassay and PCR

COWP

[152, 295, 296]

Ethiopia

HIV-positive and negative individuals

≤ 86 years

4.0% (15/378) to 7.9% (39/491)

8.5% (32/378) to 26.9% (140/520)

Direct microscopy, formol-ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining and PCR

18S rRNA

[23, 267, 297300]

Ethiopia

Children

≤ 15 years

4.6% (16/350) to 55.0% (216/393)

4.6% (18/393) to 7.3% (28/348)

Direct microscopy, formol-ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining, immunoassay and PCR

18S rRNA; tpi; gdh; bg

[103, 125, 299, 301]

Ethiopia

Individuals with diarrhoea or gastrointestinal symptoms

≤ 80 years

10.9% (10/92)

1.1% (1/92); 7.6% (79/1034)

Direct microscopy, acid fast staining, immunoassay and PCR

18S rRNA; COWP; gdh; bg

[82, 99]

Ghana

Children (with and without diarrhoea/gastrointestinal symptoms)

≤ 17 years

1.0% (1/101) to 37.9% (455/1199)

4.9% (59/1199) to 8.5% (204/2400)

Direct microscopy, formol-ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining, immunoassay and PCR

18S rRNA; gdh

[98, 135, 302305]

Ghana

HIV-positive and negative individuals

All ages

12.6% (101/800)

8.2% (34/413); 9.0% (72/800)

Direct microscopy, formol-ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[306, 307]

Ghana

Food vendors

10–70 years

10.7% (15/140)

 

Direct microscopy, iodine staining and formalin-ether concentration

Not genotyped

[308]

Guinea-Bissau

Children from villages

≤ 7.5 years

56.0% (28/50)

 

Ritchie concentration method and PCR

18S rRNA; bg

[309]

Guinea Bissau

Children (with and without malnutrition)

< 5 years

33.9% (37/109)

 

Direct microscopy

Not genotyped

[310]

Kenya

Certified food-handlers

≥ 18 years

1.3% (4/312)

 

Iodine staining

Not genotyped

[311]

Kenya

HIV/AIDS-positive patients

≥ 18 years

 

34.1% (56/164)

Immunoassay and PCR

18S rRNA

[25]

Kenya

Individuals in villages

≤ 81 years

41.3% (329/796)

<1%

Multi-parallel qPCR

Not genotyped

[81]

Kenya

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

≤ 15 years

4.6% (98/2112) to 11.1% (109/981)

3.7% (36/981) to 9.8% (31/317)

Direct microscopy, formal-ether concentration, acid fast staining, immunoassay and PCR

18S rRNA; tpi; gdh; bg

[71, 88, 115, 136, 312, 313]

Libya

Children with diarrhoea

≤ 5 years

1.3% (3/239)

2.1% (5/239)

Immunoassays

Not genotyped

[314]

Libya

Individuals with diarrhoea

Not specified

1.3% (4/305)

2.3% (7/305)

Direct microscopy, iodine, eosin and acid fast staining, concentration methods

Not genotyped

[315]

Madagascar

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

< 5 years

11.7% (314/2692)

 

Direct microscopy and iodine staining

Not genotyped

[316]

Madagascar

Individuals from rural southeastern Madagascar

Not specified

 

0.8% (1/120)

PCR-RFLP

18S rRNA

[97]

Mali

European soldiers

Not specified

3.8% (2/53)

5.7% (3/53)

Multiplex real time PCR

Not genotyped

[317]

Morocco

Children (urban and rural)

5–15 years

12.5% (84/673)

 

Iodine, acid fast and Giemsa staining and Faust’s and Ritchie’s concentration methods

18S rRNA; gdh

[318]

Mozambique

HIV-positive and negative individuals

< 5 years

6.5% (6/93)

 

Direct microscopy and Ritchie’s concentration method

Not genotyped

[319]

Nigeria

Children (with and without diarrhoea or gastroenteritis)

≤ 15 years

37.2% (74/199)

1.0% (2/199) to 46.8% (88/188)

Direct microscopy, acid fast staining, immunoassay and qPCR (18S rRNA gene)

18S rRNA

[86, 87, 141, 320323]

Nigeria

HIV/AIDS-positive and negative individuals

≤ 80 years

1.9% (9/476) to 3.2% (5/157)

1.9% (3/157) to 35.9% (171/476)

Direct microscopy, acid fast staining, PCR-RFLP

18S rRNA; tpi; ITS rDNA

[83, 101, 166, 324, 325]

Rwanda

Children

≤ 18 years

35.7% (222/622); 59.7% (366/583)

 

Direct microscopy, ether-based concentration, real-time

PCR assays and multiplex qPCR

tpi

[22, 24, 326]

São Tomé and Príncipe

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

≤ 10 years

8.3% (29/348); 41.7% (185/444)

5.5% (19/348)

Direct microscopy, modified water-ether sedimentation, formol-ether concentration, iodine and acid fast staining and PCR-RFLP

18S rRNA; tpi

[96, 327]

Senegal

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

< 15 years

 

6.13% (23/375)

Acid fast stain and immunoassay

Not genotyped

[328]

South Africa

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

≤ 11 years

9.9% (16/162)

5.6% (8/143); 12.2% (54/442)

Acid fast staining and PCR

18S rRNA

[89, 154, 329]

South Africa

HIV-positive individuals

All ages

11.9% (18/151)

65.5% (165/252); 26.5% (40/151)

Acid fast stain, immunoassay, qPCR, PCR (18S rDNA) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)

Not genotyped

[330, 331]

Sudan

Inhabitants of rural areas

All ages

 

13.3% (115/866)

Acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[332]

Sudan

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

≤ 13 years and primary school-aged

10.1% (91/900) to 33.4% (167/500)

 

Direct microscopy and concentration technique

Not genotyped

[333336]

Sudan

Food handlers

4–57 years

20.5% (16/259)

 

Direct microscopy

Not genotyped

[337]

Sudan

Individuals with diarrhoea

1–80 years

22.0% (22/100)

 

Direct microscopy, formal ether concentration technique

Not genotyped

[338]

Tanzania

Individuals with and without diarrhoea

All ages

6.9% (218/3152); 53.4% (93/174)

1.1% (2/174)

Formol-ether-concentration technique, iodine and acid fast staining, qPCR and conventional PCR

18S rRNA

[339, 340]

Tanzania

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

< 5 years, school going age

1.9% (5/270) to 62.2% (28/45)

10.4% (131/1259); 18.9% (51/270)

Multiplex real-time PCR and immunoassays

18S rRNA; gdh

[72, 123, 341]

Tanzania

Individuals living in and around Gombe National Park

Not stated

 

4.3% (8/185)

PCR-RFLP

18S rRNA

[102]

Tanzania

HIV-positive individuals

30–43 years

9.6% (8/83)

 

Direct microscopy and iodine staining

Not genotyped

[342]

Tunisia

Children (with and without diarrhoea)

< 5 years

 

1.7% (7/403)

Acid fast staining

18S rRNA

[114]

Uganda

Individuals from villages near Kibale National

≤ 75 years

40.7% (44/108)

32.4% (35/108)

Real-time PCR, nested PCR

COWP; ef1-α; gdh; 18S rRNA; tpi

[107, 120]

Uganda

HIV-positive patients with Diarrhoea

10–69 years

 

3.6% (4/111)

Acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[343]

Uganda

Children (non-symptomatic and HIV seronegative)

≤ 12 years

20.1% (86/427)

12.5% (116/926)

Direct microscopy, acid fast staining and PCR

18S rRNA; bg; gdh; tpi

[344, 345]

Zambia

Pre-school children

≤ 7 years

29.0% (117/403) to 29.0% (228/786)

28.0% (113/403) to 30.7% (241/786)

Immunofluorescence stain

Not genotyped

[128, 346, 347]

Zimbabwe

Individuals in urban areas

All ages

2.7% (8/300)

6.3% (19/300)

Acid fast staining

Not genotyped

[348]

  1. Abbreviations: bg, beta-giardin; COWP, Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein gene; ef1-α, elongation factor 1-alpha; gdh, glutamate dehydrogenase; ITS, internal transcribed spacer; 18S rRNA, 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid; tpi, triose phosphate isomerase gene; TRAP, thrombospondin-related adhesive protein