Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia: a systematic review

Introduction       Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal helminth that infects humans through contact with soil containing the larvae. Literature from PLOS One, Pubmed and several other sources were reviewed for the prevalence of strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia. Methodology      About 19 original papers were found suitable for analysis covering period from 2012 till 2016. Results                A major challenge of giving an overview of prevalence data for  S. stercoralis lies in the low sensitivity of diagnostic method used which resulted in very low prevalence in certain countries. The following countries presented areas of high prevalence (>20%): Cambodia and Laos. The current prevalence situation of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia still have wide gaps remains due to several reasons. Conclusion         The information we have today only scratches the surface which cannot truly reflect the true burden of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia.