Intestinal parasitism in the Xavánte Indians, Central Brazil Parasitas intestinais entre índios Xavánte, Brasil Central

This paper reports the findings of a survey for intestinal parasites among the Xavánte Indians from Central Brazil. A. lumbricoides (25.0%) and hookworms (33.6%) were the two most common helminths; E. histolytica complex (7.8%) and G. lamblia (8.6%) the most common protozoans. The majority (58.5%) o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
Main Authors: Ricardo V. Santos, Carlos E.A. Coimbra Jr., Nancy M. Flowers, Joaquim P. Silva
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 1995
Subjects:
Helminths
Intestinal parasites
Amerindians
Brazil
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46651995000200009
https://doaj.org/article/1d513f625a7246f48ddd9e9f58c36e4a
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Summary:This paper reports the findings of a survey for intestinal parasites among the Xavánte Indians from Central Brazil. A. lumbricoides (25.0%) and hookworms (33.6%) were the two most common helminths; E. histolytica complex (7.8%) and G. lamblia (8.6%) the most common protozoans. The majority (58.5%) of positive individuals hosted only one species of helminth. Egg counts for helminths, and for A. lumbricoides in particular, were found to be not dispersed at random, with a few individuals, all of whom young children, showing very high counts. The prevalence rates of intestinal parasites for the Xavánte are below those reported for other Amerindian populations from Brazil. Este trabalho reporta os resultados de um inquérito transversal qualitativo e quantitativo sobre parasitas intestinais entre os Xavánte do Brasil Central. A. lumbricoides (25%) e ancilostomídeos (33,6%) foram os helmintos mais freqüentes; complexo E. histolytica (7,8%) e G. lamblia (8,6%) os protozoários mais comuns. A maioria dos indivíduos positivos albergava somente uma espécie de helminto (58,5%). Os resultados dos exames quantitativos indicaram que alguns poucos indivíduos, todos eles crianças, apresentavam concentrações particularmente elevadas de ovos de helmintos, particularmente no caso de A. lumbricoides. As prevalências de positividade dos Xavánte são inferiores àquelas reportadas para outros grupos indígenas do Brasil.

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