Parasitic infections and gastrointestinal symptoms among preschool children in day care centers in Alexandria, Egypt

There is a considerable amount of speculations concerning the presence of symptoms in various parasitic infections. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of different parasitic infections among children in day care centers (DCCs), and to establish the relation of such infections to gastrointestinal symptoms. A total of 623 stool samples were collected from 700 preschool children aged 2-5 years who attended 3 DCCs of different social classes in Alexandria. These samples were tested for parasitic infection by the conventional microscopy. Parents were interviewed as regards the gastrointestinal symptoms frequently suffered from by their children included in the sample during the 3 months period preceding the interview. The prevalence rate of parasitic infection was 56.0%. Giardiasis was the commonest infection (34.7%), followed by Ascariasis (24.4%) and Trichuriasis (4.6%). Boys showed a significantly higher prevalence than girls (58.3% vs. 52.9%, p<0.01). Social children were more infected with G. lamblia than unsocial ones (39.6% vs. 22.1%, p<0.01). Vomiting was strongly associated with G. lamblia infection (OR=7.1, p<0.01), diarrhea with multiple infections (OR=48.2, p<0.01), while abdominal pain was not significantly associated with any of these infections. The high prevalence of Giardiasis in DCCs emphasizes the need for increased surveillance for G. lamblia as a cause of vomiting in children, especially among active and social boys. Routine and periodic administration of a protozoan treatment to such children is recommended.