Author(s)

Bocar Baya^1,2*, Bourahima Kone¹, Amadou Somboro¹, Ousmane Kodio¹, Anou Moise Somboro¹, Bassirou Diarra¹, Fah Gaoussou Traore¹, Drissa Kone³, Mama Adama Traore³, Mahamadou Kone¹, Antieme Georges Togo¹, Yeya Sadio Sarro¹, Almoustapha Maiga¹, Mamoudou Maiga^3,4, Yacouba Toloba², Souleymane Diallo¹, Robert L. Murphy⁴, Seydou Doumbia¹

¹University Clinical Research Center (UCRC) of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), Bamako, Mali.
²Service of Pneumopthisiology of the University Teaching Hospital of Point G, Bamako, Mali.
³Clinical Laboratory of the University Teaching Hospital of Point G, Bamako, Mali.
⁴Havey Institute for Global Health (Havey IGH), Northwestern University (NU), Chicago, USA.

Tuberculosis disease stands for the second leading cause of death worldwide after COVID-19, most active tuberculosis cases result from the reactivation of latent TB infection through impairment of immune response. Several factors are known to sustain that process.Schistosoma mansoni, a parasite of the helminth genus that possesses switching power from an immune profile type Th1 to Th2 that favors reactivation of latent TB bacteria. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of the co-infection between the two endemic infections. Systematic literature was contacted at the University Clinical Research Center at the University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako in Mali. Original articles were included, and full texts were reviewed to assess the prevalence and better understand the immunological changes that occur during the co-infection. In total, 3530 original articles were retrieved through database search, 53 were included in the qualitative analysis, and data from 10 were included in the meta-analysis. Prevalence of the co-infection ranged from 4% to 34% in the literature. Most of the articles reported that immunity against infection with helminth parasite and more specifically Schistosoma mansoni infection enhances latent TB reactivation through Th1/Th2. In sum, the impact of Schistosoma mansoni co-infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is under-investigated. Understanding the role of this endemic tropical parasite as a contributing factor to TB epidemiology and burden could help integrate its elimination as one of the strategies to achieve the END-TB objectives by the year 2035.

Schistosoma mansoni, Tuberculosis, Co-Infections, LTBI, Reactivation

Baya, B. , Kone, B. , Somboro, A. , Kodio, O. , Somboro, A. , Diarra, B. , Traore, F. , Kone, D. , Traore, M. , Kone, M. , Togo, A. , Sarro, Y. , Maiga, A. , Maiga, M. , Toloba, Y. , Diallo, S. , Murphy, R. and Doumbia, S. (2023) Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Schistosoma mansoni Co-Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis: A Systematic Literature Review. Open Journal of Epidemiology, 13, 97-111. doi: 10.4236/ojepi.2023.131008.