Integrated serosurveillance of multiple communicable diseases in the hinterland of Guyana

To assess multi-pathogen seroprevalence through integrated serosurveillance of dried blood spots (DBS) collected during a lymphatic filariasis survey in six hinterland regions of Guyana.

A school-based survey using probabilistic sampling was conducted among children aged 5-14 years (n = 6 936) in Regions I, II, VI, VII, VIII, and IX. Collected DBS were tested at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for antibody responses to antigens from 11 pathogens using multiplex bead assay: Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi (Wb123, Bm14, Bm33); malaria (Plasmodium vivax MSP1-19, Plasmodium falciparum MSP1-19); Strongyloides stercoralis (NIE); Chlamydia trachomatis (pgp3, CT694); Taenia solium (rES33, T24H); Treponema pallidum (rp17, TmpA); and measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria.

The historically malaria-endemic regions (I, VII, and VIII) showed the highest seropositivity for P. vivax and P. falciparum. The highest seropositivity for W. bancrofti was observed in Region VII, while exposure to S. stercoralis was significantly higher in Regions I and VII. Seroconversion rates in children aged 5-9 years for C. trachomatis (pgp3) were highest in Region IX, followed by Regions VII and VIII. Seroprevalence of T. solium was below 1.9% for both antigens in all regions. Minimal seroprotection (≥0.01 IU/ml) against tetanus and diphtheria exceeded 98% in all regions. However, seroprotection against measles and rubella was below 80% in Regions I, VII, and VIII and declined in older children.

Integrating multi-disease serological surveillance into planned surveys offers an efficient use of resources and generates complementary data to guide programmatic decisions for the control and elimination of communicable diseases.