Global prevalence and factors affecting the level of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

Zuo, Mu-Ran; Li, Xiao-Ting; Xu, Rui-Zhe; Sun, Wen-Chao; Elsheikha, Hany M; Cong, Wei

Abstract

Soil contamination with Cryptosporidium is a serious environmental and public health concern. In this systematic review and meta-analysis we estimated the global prevalence of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil and evaluated its association with climatic and hydrometeorological factors. PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang were searched from database inception up to 24 August 2022. The initial search identified 3220 studies, of which 14 met the inclusion criteria. The results were pooled using a random-effects model, and the statistical heterogeneity among the included studies was examined using Cochrane's Q test and I statistic. The estimated pooled global prevalence of Cryptosporidium in soil across all studies was 8.13 % (95 % confidence interval, 1.54-18.44). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses showed that Cryptosporidium prevalence in soil was significantly influenced by continent (p = 0.0002; R  = 49.99 %), air pressure (p = 0.0154; R  = 24.01 %), temperature (p = 0.0437; R  = 14.53 %), and detection method (p = 0.0131; R  = 26.94 %). These results highlight the need for increased surveillance of Cryptosporidium in soil and its risk factors to inform future development of environmental control interventions and public health policies.

Citation

Zuo, M.-R., Li, X.-T., Xu, R.-Z., Sun, W.-C., Elsheikha, H. M., & Cong, W. (2023). Global prevalence and factors affecting the level of Cryptosporidium contamination in soil: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Science of the Total Environment, 891, Article 164286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164286

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 15, 2023
• Online Publication Date: May 24, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 15, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 25, 2024
• Journal: Science of The Total Environment
• Print ISSN: 0048-9697
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-1026
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 891
• Article Number: 164286
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164286
• Keywords: Cryptosporidium, Soil, Prevalence, Worldwide, Systematic review, Meta-analysis
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/21903989
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723029078?via%3Dihub