The prevalence of intestinal parasites in Puerto Rican farm workers in western Massachusetts.

A parasitic surveillance of farm workers of Puerto Rican background and their children revealed a high prevalence rate (35.5%) of parasites in this population. This high prevalence rate, however, was expected in view of the fact that other researchers have found a high degree of parasitosis in Puerto Rican populations residing on the US mainland. However, the prevalence rate was almost double that reported by Winsberg, et al, for the urban population, thus suggesting a higher degree of exposure to the migrant worker than to his counterpart living in the cities. Two cases of hookworm infections were detected in children born in the United States who had never traveled outside the area, thus confirming that there is ample opportunity for the transmission of pathogenic parasites on farms, and also suggesting that migrant workers must live under poor sanitary conditions.     

The prevalence of intestinal parasites and nasal S. aureus carriage among food handlers

Food handlers play a major role in the transmission of foodborne diseases. Nasal Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) carriage and intestinal parasitism are important risk factors in contamination. The purpose of the authors' study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and nasal S. aureus carriage among food handlers in Manisa, Turkey. The authors investigated 8,895 people for nasal S. aureus carriage and intestinal parasites. Nasal swab materials and stool samples were examined, and anal cellophane band method was performed. The authors found that S. aureus was isolated in 69 (0.77%) samples. All S. aureus strains were oxacilline sensitive. Intestinal parasites were found in 784 (8.8%) samples. The most common parasites were Entamoeba histolytica (69.9%) and Giardia intestinalis (24.6%). The authors conclude that food handlers should be screened and treated from time to time and that a periodic program of health education on food safety and hygiene should be given.     

The impact of improvement of water supply and sanitation facilities on diarrhea and intestinal parasites: a Brazilian experience with children in two low-income urban communities

During the second half of 1986 the impact of the improvement of water supply and excreta disposal facilities on diarrheal diseases and intestinal parasitosis was studied in 254 children up to six years of age from two favelas (shanty towns) of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The estimated incidence of diarrhea was 6.2 episodes/child year and the estimated period prevalence reached 31.0 episode days/child/year. The point prevalence of parasitosis was 70.7% (Ascaris lumbricoides: 55.4%, Trichuris trichiura: 19.6%, Giardia lamblia: 17.9%). The estimated prevalence of diarrhea decreased with improvement of water supply and sanitation facilities to 45% and 44% respectively, but no statistically significant impact was observed in the case of parasitosis. School education and weaning practice were found to be other important determinants of diarrhea.     

濮阳市鼠类肠道寄生虫及沙门菌感染状况调查

鼠类与人类的关系极为密切,多种疾病人鼠共患,可严重影响人群身体健康。为了解濮阳市鼠类肠道寄生虫及沙门菌感染状况,2008年5月,组织专业技术人员分赴濮阳市5县2区（濮阳县、清丰县、南乐县、范县、台前县、濮阳市区和开发区）,在县（区）级疾病预防控制中心的大力配合下,开展了调查工作。     

Cockroaches as carriers of human intestinal parasites in two localities in Ethiopia

A study was undertaken to assess the role of cockroaches as potential carriers of human intestinal parasites in Addis Ababa and Ziway, Ethiopia. A total of 6480 cockroaches were trapped from the two localities from October 2006 to March 2007. All the cockroaches trapped in Addis Ababa (n=2240) and almost 50% (2100/4240) of those trapped in Ziway were identified as Blattella germanica. The rest of the cockroaches trapped in Ziway were identified as Periplaneta brunnea (24.52%), Pycnoscelus surinamensis (16.03%) and Supella longipalpa (9.90%). Microscopic examination of the external body washes of pooled cockroaches and individual gut contents revealed that cockroaches are carriers of Entamoeba coli and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar cysts as well as Enterobius vermicularis, Trichuris trichiura, Taenia spp. and Ascaris lumbricoides ova. Besides their role as a nuisance, the present study further confirms that cockroaches serve as carriers of human intestinal parasites. The possible association of cockroaches with allergic conditions such as asthma is also discussed. Hence, appropriate control measures should be taken particularly to make hotels and residential areas free of cockroaches as they represent a health risk.     

Nematode intestinal parasites of children in rural Guinea, Africa: prevalence and relationship to geophagia

BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasitism is common among children in developing countries, but the risk factors for infection are not well characterized. METHODS: A stool examination was performed on 286 randomly selected children aged 1-18 years from three rural villages in Guinea, Africa. Information collected by questionnaire was used to examine the relationship between geophagia and infection with intestinal nematodes acquired by ingestion versus skin penetration. RESULTS: Fifty-three per cent of children were infected by at least one type of soil-transmitted nematode. Geophagia was reported by parents to occur in 57%, 53%, and 43%, of children ages 1-5, 6-10, and 11-18 years, respectively. The pattern of geophagia by age and gender of the children more closely resembled the infection pattern for the two orally acquired and soil-transmitted nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura) than it did the infection pattern for the two soil-transmitted nematodes that infect by skin penetration (hookworm, Strongyloides stercoralis). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that geophagia is an important risk factor for orally acquired nematode infections in African children. Education regarding geophagia prevention should be an integral component of any soil-transmitted parasite control programme.     

Epidemiological survey of the prevalence of intestinal parasites among schoolchildren in Sari, northern Iran

Parasitic infection is highly prevalent throughout the developing countries of the world. Research on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in various geographic regions is a prerequisite for the development of appropriate control strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in public primary and secondary schools in the urban areas of Sari, Mazandaran province, northern Iran. The study was conducted from November 2009 to June 2010. A total of 1100 stool samples from 607 males and 493 females aged 7-14 years were examined by direct wet mounting, formalin-ether concentration, and Ziehl-Neelsen and trichrome permanent staining methods. A parental questionnaire for common risk factors was completed for each participant. Mono- or poly-parasitism was detected in 367 (33.3%) of the children (32.6% of males and 34.2% of females). Various species of protozoan or helminth infections were detected: Blastocystis hominis seemed to be the most prevalent parasite (13.5%) followed by Giardia lamblia (10.6%), Entamoeba coli (7.2%), Endolimax nana (1.5%), Enterobius vermicularis (2.2%), Trichostrongylus sp. (2.1%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (1.6%). The prevalence of intestinal parasite infections in females was slightly higher than in males, though without a statistically significant difference (p=0.56). No age association was detected, and a slightly lower positive association with increasing age was observed (p=0.33). A significant association was observed with parents' educational level, household income and practice of hand washing before meals (p<0.01). Although paediatric pathogenic intestinal parasite infections are not more prevalent in this geographical area than in other regions, improvements in personal hygienic conditions and behavioural characteristics is important to completely control parasitic infections in schoolchildren in northern Iran.     

Adjusting morbidity ratios in two communities using risk factor prevalence in cases

Available data on cancer incidence for 1969-1971 showed statistically elevated rates for breast cancer in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a community with creosote contamination of the water supply, when compared with the rest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area taken as the reference population. In order to assess the effect of other known risk factors for breast cancer, 75 persons with breast cancer in each of the two populations were interviewed to obtain frequencies of known risk factors. An adjusted morbidity ratio in the two populations and an expected case rate in the exposed community were calculated from these frequencies, using relative risk values from the medical literature. The adjusted morbidity ratio was less than 1.0, and the observed rate was almost identical to the new expectation, although the age-adjusted rates alone had suggested a significant difference in incidence. This method makes use of relative risks from published studies rather than those associated with local cases and controls. It allows more refined evaluation of differences in cancer rates between communities than can be provided by age- and sex-specific calculations alone, and may allow use of available statistics in situations where cost, temporal considerations, or population size do not favor large new studies.     

西宁市肠道传染病发病态势分析

目的 了解西宁市肠道传染病流行状况和发病特征,同时掌握其分布规律和流行趋势,探讨肠道传染病的预警,以及预防控制策略.方法 依据《疾病监测信息报告管理系统》收集西宁市2005～2011年肠道传染病数据,用SPSS进行卡方检验等统计学分析.结果 西宁市肠道传染病各年份、不同人群间发病有差异;主要以其他感染性腹泻和细菌性痢疾为主,两者占总发病数的85.42％;除1～2月发病水平较低外,其他月份发病率均较高,7～10月份达到发病高峰;发病年龄以10岁以下儿童为主.结论 10岁以下散居儿童为肠道传染病的高危人群,肠道传染病的控制可以其他感染性腹泻和细菌性痢疾为主进行相关性预防控制,托幼机构和小学是防控的重点场所;改善环境卫生条件可以减少肠道传染病的发生.     

Natural history of intestinal parasites in asymptomatic adults

The need to treat asymptomatic adults who have intestinal parasites should be based on considerations of potential pathogenicity and transmission risk, but such data are sparse in general and unavailable for countries such as the United States, where reinfection is rare. Opinions of North American physicians about the natural history and treatment of 12 parasites detectable by stool examination were assessed using the Delphi technique. In response to the first questionnaire, majority agreement on pathogenic potential was achieved for only 3 of 12 parasites. When the more expert group was queried a second time, majority agreement was achieved for 8 of 12 parasites. Nevertheless, the predicted risk of subsequent disease still varied widely, from 1:10 to 1:1,000 for most parasites, and was unrelated to the perceived need for treatment. Almost all respondents thought asymptomatic adults with any intestinal parasites should always be treated. Transmission risk was judged to be low and was generally appropriate to the life cycle of the parasite.     

Age-related differences in prevalence and intensity of Trichuris trichiura in sensory impaired children from two schools in Guatemala

A survey of 102 blind and 218 deaf children in 2 specialized schools in Guatemala revealed distinctly different age-intensity profiles of infection with the intestinal helminth, Trichuris trichiura. In the school for the deaf, intensity (measured as eggs per gram of stool) peaked in the children 7 to 8 years old and dropped to very low average levels in the teenagers. By contrast, in the school for the blind, the intensity of T. trichiura remained low until the early teens. Intensity peaked in the age group 13 to 14 years old, and then decreased in the 15 to 17 years old pupils. Behavioural differences between blind and deaf children, or differences between the schools, may have contributed to this differential pattern of infection.     

社区糖尿病患者的周围血管病变患病率及其影响因素研究

目的 了解社区管理2型糖尿病患者的周围血管病变（PAD）流行现况及影响因素。方法 本研究基于中国糖尿病足预防模式项目基线调查,采用二阶段整群随机抽样的方法抽取武汉市江岸区和江苏省常熟市社区管理的2型糖尿病患者2 528名,进行问卷调查、体格检查及血糖检测。采用非条件多因素logistic模型进行影响因素分析。结果 糖尿病患者的PAD患病率为11.2%,<55、55~、65~、≥75岁年龄组的患病率分别为7.8%、6.0%、12.9%、22.5%。多因素分析结果显示,与<55岁年龄组糖尿病患者相比,55~、65~、≥75岁年龄组PAD患病的OR值分别为0.74（95%CI：0.43~1.28）、1.72（95%CI：1.05~2.81）、3.56（95%CI：2.07~6.11）;与小学及以下文化程度糖尿病患者相比,初中、高中/中专/技校、大专及以上文化程度PAD患病的OR值分别为1.37（95%CI：0.97~1.94）、2.48（95%CI：1.73~3.55）、1.99（95%CI：1.26~3.13）;现在吸烟（OR=1.49,95%CI：1.02~2.17）、现在饮酒（OR=0.45,95%CI：0.28~0.71）、餐后2 h血糖控制未达标（OR=1.72,95%CI：1.22~2.43）、心肌梗死或心绞痛史（OR=2.32,95%CI：1.50~3.61）均是糖尿病PAD的影响因素。结论 社区管理糖尿病患者的PAD患病率较高,有必要在基层医疗卫生机构开展PAD常规筛查,及早发现,早期预防,减少糖尿病足的发生。     

Intestinal parasites in African asylum seekers: prevalence and risk factors

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of potentially pathogenic intestinal parasites in asylum seekers coming from a highly endemic area, and to identify groups of asylum seekers from Africa with a high risk of an intestinal parasitic infestation which is potentially harmful of their own health or that of those in their vicinity. DESIGN: Prospective. METHOD: In the period January 1996-May 1999, 956 asylum seekers from Africa were checked for intestinal parasites by means of a stool examination within one month of arriving in the Netherlands. Independent variables for data analysis were sex, age and area of origin. RESULTS: Pathogenic intestinal parasites were found in 40.6% of the 956 African asylum seekers coming from areas south and east of the Sahara. Double-infection was found in 9.5% and triple-infection in 0.9% of the study population. The most common pathogenic parasite was Trichuris trichiura (13.6%) followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (8.8%), hookworms (7.8%), Schistosoma (7.0%) and Giardia lamblia (5.0%). G. lamblia was the most commonly found potentially pathogenic parasite in children less than 13 years old (19.0%). In the population from Western Africa, 15.6% had a hookworm and 12.8% a Schistosoma. Both these helminthic infestations were three times as prevalent in men as in women. CONCLUSION: Sex, age and area of origin were important indicators for the species of parasite. On the basis of this, risk groups can be selected for screening for potentially pathogenic intestinal parasites.