Abstract
Opisthorchis viverrini and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) remain major public health challenges in Thailand due to their widespread distribution. This study aimed to map and predict the prevalence of O. viverrini and STH infections across Thailand and to identify key environmental, climatic, and socio-economic factors influencing their geographical distribution. Bayesian geostatistical logistic regression models were fitted to national survey data to estimate infection risk and generate high-resolution spatial predictions. Demographic (sex, age), environmental (land surface temperature, vegetation indices, altitude), climatic (minimum and maximum temperature), and socio-economic (nighttime light intensity) variables were included as covariates in the models, and their associations with infection risk were quantified using posterior odds ratios and 95% Bayesian credible intervals (95% CrI). Opisthorchis viverrini infection was significantly associated with sex and age. Males had higher odds of infection than females (OR: 1.57; 95% CrI: 1.24–1.97). Individuals aged 25–59 years (OR: 4.75; 95% CrI: 3.22–7.21) and ≥ 60 years (OR: 4.69; 95% CrI: 3.10–7.29) had similarly elevated risks compared with those < 25 years. Minimum temperature (TMIN) was significantly negatively associated with infection risk. For each 1 °C increase in TMIN, the probability of O. viverrini infection decreased by 33% (OR = 0.67, 95% CrI: 0.49–0.88). Hookworm infection was more common among males (OR: 1.65; 95% CrI: 1.42–1.93) and individuals aged 25–59 years (OR: 1.86; 95% CrI: 1.52–2.28). For Ascaris lumbricoides, infection risk was lower in individuals aged 25–59 years (OR: 0.42; 95% CrI: 0.18–0.98) and negatively associated with land surface temperature (OR: 0.66; 95% CrI: 0.39–0.98) and nighttime light intensity (OR: 0.97; 95% CrI: 0.93–0.99). No statistically significant associations were detected for Trichuris trichiura. Spatial predictions showed that O. viverrini was concentrated in northeastern Thailand, whereas STH infections were most prevalent in the south. Distinct spatial heterogeneity was observed in the distribution of O. viverrini and STH infections in Thailand. Demographic factors were consistently associated with O. viverrini and hookworm infection, whereas selected environmental and socio-economic correlates were associated with A. lumbricoides. These findings support geographically targeted surveillance and control strategies focused on high-burden areas and vulnerable populations.
Similar content being viewed by others
Prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminths infections and associated factors among households in Gorgora, Ethiopia
Estimating the population at risk with soil transmitted helminthiasis and annual drug requirements for preventive chemotherapy in Ogun State, Nigeria
Strong association between high burden of soil-transmitted helminthiasis and household transmission among Malaysian Negritos, urging anthelmintic treatment beyond children
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Division of General Communicable Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand for sharing and allowing us to use the data.
Funding
This research received support from the Fundamental Fund of Khon Kaen University (KKU), which has been funded by the National Science, Research, and Innovation Fund (NSRF) (Grant ID: 161734) through Apiporn T Suwannatrai. Additional funding was provided by a Postgraduate Study Support Grant from the Faculty of Medicine, KKU, awarded to Khanittha Pratumchart. This study also received funding from the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) e-ASIA 2019 Joint Research Program (App ID 1184406). KW is funded by Australian NHMRC Investigator Grant (2008697).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This study protocol was approved by the Khon Kaen University Ethics Committee for Human Research (HE661497). Permission to use the dataset was granted by the National Helminth Control Program, Division of General Communicable Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. The study used anonymized secondary data obtained from a nationwide survey; therefore, the requirement for informed consent was formally waived by the approving ethics committee (Khon Kaen University Ethics Committee for Human Research). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Supplementary Material 1 (download PDF )
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Reprints and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pratumchart, K., Suwannatrai, A.T., Wattanawong, O. et al. Spatial patterns and risk mapping of opisthorchiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections in Thailand using Bayesian geostatistical models.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55420-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55420-0
Keywords
Opisthorchis viverrini
- soil-transmitted helminths
- Bayesian geostatistical model
- Thailand
Source: Ecology - nature.com
