Soil Contamination with Soil Transmitted Helminthes in Schools and Play Areas of Kermanshah City, West of Iran

Abstract

Background: Geohelminth infections are common infections worldwide. These helminthes are parasitic nematodes, which could infect humans and animals by contact with eggs or infective larvae and in some cases cause serious disorders, especially in children. Objectives: The present study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of geohelminth eggs in the soil of schools and play areas of Kermanshah city, western Iran. Materials and Methods: One hundred and ninety-two soil samples were collected from 24 primary schools and 24 play areas from four different parts of each area. Diagnosis of geohelminth was confirmed by the recovery of their eggs by the flotation technique using sucrose solution and examined under light microscope using 10X and 40X objectives. Results: Out of 192 soil samples, soil of play areas from four regions was contaminated with geohelminth eggs. The rate of soil contamination with Trichuris spp. eggs was 3.12% while this was 2.1% for hookworm eggs, yet no Ascaris eggs were found in the examined soil samples. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study there is a risk of infection with soil transmitted helminthes among children of Kermanshah, Iran.