The association between animal-keeping practice and human malaria infection: a cross-sectional study in southern Tanzania

作者：Wei Ding, Longsheng Liu, Yuejin Li, Jinxin Zheng, S Lu, Prosper Chaki, Tegemeo Gavana, Yeromin P. Mlacha, L Huang, Hui Li, Yuan Sui, Zhoupeng Ren, Sandra Perez, Roger Frutos, Shan Lv, X Zhou, S Y Li, Peng Bi, D Wang · 发表于：Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.3389/fvets.2026.1794979 · 研究领域：Malaria Research and Control、Mosquito-borne diseases and control、Parasites and Host Interactions

Background: Malaria remains a leading global health threat, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, malaria continues to cause high morbidity and mortality, especially in rural areas. Animal-keeping, common in these regions, may influence the local malaria vector ecology. However, the relationship between animal-keeping and malaria risk remains to be understood, with studies showing mixed results regarding its protective or risk-enhancing effects. This study assessed the associations between malaria infection and animal-keeping practices in rural southern Tanzania, specifically whether animal species (poultry, ruminants, or pets), management location (indoors vs. outdoors), and herd size influence infection risk, providing insights for targeted malaria control strategies within a One Health framework. Methods: Data were collected from the baseline survey of the China-Tanzania malaria control project in July 2019, covering three regions: Kibiti, Rufiji and Kilwa. Interviews were conducted with households, including data on living conditions, animal-keeping practices, malaria prevalence, and health-seeking behaviors. Malaria was diagnosed using rapid detection reagents. Univariant analysis and the logistic regression models of exposure-outcome and dosage-outcome were implemented to assess the relationship between malaria infection risk and animal-keeping practices. Results: Of the 11,406 participants with malaria RDT results, 6,379 (55.93%) kept animals. Poultry-keeping w...