Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is a group of parasitic nematodes, including Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, which can cause gastrointestinal disorders in humans. STH is prevalent among neglected communities in both developing and developed countries. This present study aims to determine the current prevalence of STH infections in Aboriginal population after mass delivering of antihelminthic drugs was proposed by WHO in 2005 and a health education learning package (HELP) was initiated in Malaysia in 2012. A total of 235 human fecal samples were collected and a pre-tested questionnaire was given to gather information about the socio-demographic of the Aborigine communities living in Kedah and Selangor, Malaysia. The samples were screened by a direct-fecal smear and confirmed by formalin-ether sedimentation methods. From human faeces, 81.7% was found to be infected with one or more STH species. T. trichiura was the most commonly detected (76.6%), followed by hookworms (26.4%) and A. lumbricoides (19.1%). Triple infections were found in 6.4% of the studied population. Univariate analysis showed that individuals with age group, male, presence of indoor toilet, family size with <7 members and bad living habits (i.e., without antihelminthic drugs) were significantly associated with STH infections. The analysis further showed that walking barefoot was the significant contributing factor to hookworm infections. The high prevalence of human STH infections is alarming. Thus, the urgency in implementing health education related behavioral practice and hygiene to reduce disease burden in these rural communities are a crucial need.

Trichuris trichiura, the whipworm of humans, is one of the most prevalent soiltransmitted helminths (STH) reported worldwide. According to a recent study, out of 289 STH studies in Southeast Asia, only three studies used molecular methods. Hence, the genetic assemblages of Trichuris in Southeast Asia are poorly understood. In this study, we used partial mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 or COI) sequences for analysis. Trichuris grouped in a same clade with different hosts indicate the potential of cross infection between hosts. Based on COI, the adult Trichuris isolated from a Malaysian patient was most closely related to Trichuris isolated from Papio anubis (olive baboons) from the USA. The Trichuris isolated from the dog from Malaysia was genetically similar to a Trichuris species isolated from Macaca silenus (lion-tailed macaque) from Czech Republic. Both the human and dog isolated Trichuris grouped in clades with different hosts indicating the potential of cross infection between hosts. Specific PCR primers based on the partial COI of T. trichiura isolated from African green monkey and T. serrata were designed and successfully amplified using multiplex PCR of the pooled DNA samples. Our results suggest a complex parasite-host relationship, and support the theory of cross infection of Trichuris between humans and non-human primates as suggested in previous publications.