Prevalence Of Other Intestinal Parasites Research Articles

High prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis in school-age children in the villages adjacent to Lake Chamo in the southern Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Background The prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis remains a challenge despite government efforts to eliminate the disease. This study aims to assess the prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis in school-age children living in the villages surrounding Lake Chamo in southern Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Methodology/Principal findings A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2023 in Shele Mela Kebele in Gamo Zone, South Ethiopia. Stool samples were collected from 597 school-age children. A singe Kato-Katz for helminths and formalin-ether concentration technique for protozoan parasites were used to process the samples. The intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infection among school-age children was determined by counting the number of eggs per gram of stool. Of the 597 children screened, 52.3% (95% CI: 48.4.4–56.4) were positive for Schistosoma mansoni. These findings showed that 55% of the infections were light, 30.3% were moderate, and 14.7% were heavy. The mean egg count of S. mansoni parasites was 182.1 eggs per gram. The prevalence of other intestinal parasites (Hymenolopis nana, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hookworm, Taenia species, Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica) was found to be 7.7% (46/597). The overall prevalence of S. mansoni co-infection with other intestinal parasites was 5.0% (30/597). Specifically, the co-infection rates were 1.5% for A. lumbricoides, 1.3% for H. nana, 1.0% for Taenia species, 0.2% for Hookworm, 0.2% for E. histolytica, and 0.2% for G. lamblia. Conclusions/Significances The study showed a high rate of S. mansoni infection among school-age children. This calls for immediate action, such as school-based deworming, to protect these children from the disease and reduce the burden. Further research is needed to understand the transmission of the infection by the intermediate host.

Intestinal schistosomiasis among secondary school students in Northern Tanzania: prevalence, infection intensity and associated risk factors

ObjectiveOur study investigated the prevalence, infection intensity and associated risk factors of intestinal schistosomiasis among secondary school students in Shinyanga Municipal Council, Northern Tanzania. MethodsA quantitative school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2022 among 620 secondary students. One stool specimen per participant was collected and screened for Schistosoma mansoni ova by microscopy using the Kato-Katz technique. Ova were counted to estimate infection intensity in all positive stool samples. Participants' socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for intestinal schistosomiasis were gathered using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression. ResultsOverall prevalence of S. mansoni was 1.9%. All infected participants had light infection intensity. Overall prevalence of other intestinal parasites was 2.7%, with Hookworm spp (17.6%) and Entamoeba coli (52.9%) the most observed intestinal helminth and protozoa, respectively. Among assessed factors, being in form II or III, visiting water sources and doing activities in water sources were statistically significantly associated with increased risk of S. mansoni transmission. ConclusionsThere is ongoing transmission of intestinal schistosomiasis among secondary students. Hence, the need for extending praziquantel administration in this group, health education provision, and improvement of water supply, sanitation and hygienic practices.

Prevalence, Risk Factors and Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis in Sheltered Dogs in Tuscany (Central Italy).

In sheltered dogs, the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis is frequently high and may include potential zoonotic genotypes. The prevalence, genotypes and potential risk factors of G. duodenalis were assessed in 168 dogs from four kennels (Pistoia, Prato, Florence, Valdarno) in Tuscany, central Italy and compared with data from previous Italian studies. The prevalence of other intestinal parasites was also investigated. Individual dog faecal samples collected from each kennel were examined by parasitological techniques and a rapid immunoassay for the detection of G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium faecal antigens. On Giardia-positive samples, molecular analysis was performed for genotype identification. Overall, 69 dogs scored positive for G. duodenalis (41%), but significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found among the four kennels and sampling seasons. The potentially zoonotic assemblages A and B and the canine-specific assemblage C (Pistoia: A-AII, B, C; Prato: A-AII, B; Florence: A-AII; Valdarno: A and C) were identified. Toxocara canis (8.9%), Trichuris vulpis (3.6%), hookworms (1.19%) and Cryptosporidium sp. (0.6%) were also identified. The high prevalence of G. duodenalis and the identification of potentially zoonotic genotypes in all examined kennels underline the need to improve routine parasite monitoring and control measures and to provide insights into the zoonotic potential of G. duodenalis.

Blastocystis hominis and other intestinal parasites in a community of Pitanga City, Paraná State, Brazil

The objective was to estimate the prevalence of Blastocystis hominis, to evaluate the effectiveness of different techniques for its diagnosis as well as to estimate the prevalence of other intestinal parasites in the community of Campo Verde, a district of Pitanga. The work was carried out from August to October 2004. Samples of feces from children and adults were collected and submitted to the techniques of direct wet mount, flotation in zinc sulphate solution, tube sedimentation, sedimentation in formalin-ether and staining by Kinyoun and iron hematoxylin methods. From 181 studied individuals, 128 (70.7%) showed protozoa and/or helminths in stool samples. The most prevalent species were Endolimax nana (33.7%); B. hominis (26.5%); Giardia lamblia (18.2%); Entamoeba coli (17.1%); Ascaris lumbricoides (16.6%); Iodamoeba bütschlii (9.4%); and ancylostomatidae (7.7%). B. hominis was only identified by the techniques of direct wet mount, sedimentation in formalin-ether and staining by iron hematoxylin, though the latter was less sensitive than the other methods. The high frequency of B. hominis demonstrated by this study indicates the need to include laboratory techniques that enable identification of the parasite on a routine basis.

Ascariasis and childhood malnutrition.

The present review will examine epidemiological perspectives and be confined mainly to the results of those field studies published since 1975 in order to provide concrete scientific evidence of the effect of ascariasis on childhood malnutrition, particularly on growth. The field studies were done in many developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, using cross-sectional and intervention studies in which anthelmintics were employed, with different dosing frequency and follow-up periods ranging from 33 days to 2 years. In general, a better nutritional status in terms of growth, lactose tolerance, vitamins A and C, and albumin levels were observed among Ascaris-free or treated than among Ascaris-infected or untreated children even in cross-sectional or non-randomized studies. More importantly, the improvement in weight or height after chemotherapeutic treatment was found to be significant particularly in those randomized controlled studies with an initially high prevalence of ascariasis and malnutrition, a low prevalence of other intestinal parasites, repetitive and regular treatments of children with tetramisole, levamisole or pyrantel, within a period of 12 or 24 months. Reasons for failures to detect improved growth in some studies are provided. This review strongly indicates that A. lumbricoides infection definitely retards childhood growth.