AI Article Synopsis

  • The study surveyed 268 children aged 2-12 in Bolivia's Chaco region and found a high overall intestinal parasite prevalence of 69%.
  • Protozoa were most common, with Entamoeba coli and Giardia intestinalis being the leading species, while helminths like Hymenolepis nana were less prevalent.
  • The research highlights a significant drop in soil-transmitted helminths since a preventive intervention in 1986 and suggests that enhanced health education and sanitation measures are needed to further combat protozoan infections.

Article Abstract

We assessed the prevalence of intestinal parasites among 268 2-12-year-old children living in rural areas, small villages, and semi-urban areas of the Chaco region, south-eastern Bolivia. The overall parasitism was 69%. Only protozoa, helminths, or co-infections were observed in 89.2%, 5.9%, or 4.9% of the positive children, respectively. A significant progressive increase in overall parasite prevalence was found when passing from rural areas to small villages and semi-urban areas. The most commonly found species were Entamoeba coli (38.4%), Giardia intestinalis (37.7%), and Blastocystis spp. (16%). Hymenolepis nana was the most prevalent helminth (5.6%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworms (1.5% and 0.4%) evidenced only in rural areas and in villages. Molecular diagnostics identified Blastocystis subtypes 9 and 2, and 5 infections by Entamoeba histolytica and 4 by Entamoeba dispar. The dramatic decrease in prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths with respect to that observed about 20 years ago (> 40%) evidences the success of the preventive chemotherapy intervention implemented in 1986. Health education and improved sanitation should be intensified to control protozoan infections.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4385775PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.14-0039DOI Listing

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