Intestinal Parasites Associated with Acute Diarrhea in Children Under 12 Years of Age

• Main Authors: Wintila Rincón, Ellen Acurero, Elvia Serrano, Marisol Quintero, Sharline Beauchamp
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Universidad del Zulia,Facultad de Medicina,Departamento de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Tropicales 2006
• Subjects: Diarrea aguda; Enteroparásitos; B. hominis; E. histolytica; G. lamblia; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Aguda; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/0d49564620e54b809f6f4c1b20479e1c

Diarrhea is a serious public health problem and intestinal parasites are one of causes of the same. In order to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasite species involved in acute diarrhea in children under 12 years of age, this study was carried out. The sample was 58 children of both sexes stratified in three age groups: less than 1 year old, of 1 to 4 years old and older than 5, from whom fecal samples were obtained to which analysis with the coproparasitological exam was applied with physiologic saline solution, lugol, blue from cushioned methylene, the coloration techniques, permanent modified Ziehl Neelsen and Acid Fast Tricromic testing. The obtained results indicated that 36,20% of the individuals presented intestinal parasites. The prevalence of identified enteroparasites was the following: Blastocystis hominis 17.24%, Complex Entamoeba histolytica /Entamoeba dispar 10,34%, Cryptosporidium parvum y Giardia lamblia both with 6,90%, Entamoeba coli 3.45%, Chilomastix mesnili, Endolimax nana and Pentatrichomonas hominis 1.72% each one. Statistical squared Chi analysis revealed significance between the variables parasitosis and male sex, age (5-12 years old) and monoparasitism (p<0.05) .The results evidenced the persistence of intestinal parasites in children with acute diarrhea under 12 years of age.