Epidemiological Risk Factors and Progression of Gastrointestinal Parasitic Infestation among Food Animals of Bangladesh: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The gastrointestinal parasitic infestation seems to have a substantial economic impact on the entire livestock production industry. Because of the parasites' environmental appropriateness, numerous domestic animals in Bangladesh are particularly susceptible to the infestation; however, the extent to which people are aware of the potential risk factors is debatable. Therefore, the current meta-analysis' objective is to determine the precise understanding of potential risk variables and the impact of climatological variations on five important gastrointestinal parasites: Paramphistomum species, Strongyloides species, Trichuris species, Schistosoma species, and Moneizia species. Four globally recognized databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar were screened to choose the studies published in English language from 2000 to 2020. Finally, 29 studies were selected for further analysis and recorded the maximum prevalence in Paramphistomum species (26%; 95% CI: 19-33), followed by Strongyloides species (9%, 95% CI: 5-12), Trichuris species (10%, 95% CI: 4-17), Schistosoma species (19%, 95% CI: 7-31), and Moneizia species (8%, 95% CI: 5-10); besides the overall prevalence was noted as 15% (95% CI: 11-18). Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that parasite infestation was most prevalent in females (21%) and the elderly animal population (14%) and the summer season (26%). To sum up, the current meta-analysis visualized the epidemiological risk factors with the overall incidence of five major parasite infestations in livestock animals in Bangladesh; hence, the government and shareholders may employ it as proof before launching any control programs or improving farmers' awareness.