Spatial parasitology and the unmapped human helminthiases

Area of Science:

• Medical Parasitology
• Geospatial Health
• Neglected Tropical Diseases

Background:

• Helminthiases impact over 1 billion people, disproportionately affecting resource-poor regions with limited disease surveillance.
• Ecological factors significantly influence the life cycles of many parasitic worms, making them suitable for geospatial analysis.
• Geospatial methods offer valuable insights into disease burden and transmission patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the extent to which human helminthiases are mapped globally.
• To identify research gaps and under-represented helminthiases and geographic regions in the scientific literature.
• To propose priorities for future research on helminthiases.

Main Methods:

• Systematic screening of 6829 abstracts.
• Analysis of 485 studies employing mapping techniques for parasitic worm transmission.
• Utilizing quantitative mapping and One Health surveillance data for spatial modeling.

Main Results:

• Quantitative mapping is increasingly used in medical parasitology.
• The majority of human helminthiases remain unmapped, with research focused on a few mass drug administration-targeted infections.
• Southern Asia and the Neotropics are notably under-represented regions in helminthiases mapping literature.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps exist in the global mapping of helminthiases.
• Research efforts are disproportionately focused on a limited number of helminthiases.
• Future research should address under-mapped helminthiases and under-represented geographic areas, particularly in Southern Asia and the Neotropics.