SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of intestinal parasites in a quilombola community from the northern Espírito Santo, Brazil. Descendants of slaves who arrived in Brazil in the sixteenth century, this population settled in the municipality of São Mateus in 1858. Fresh fecal samples from 82 individuals who agreed to participate in the study were collected between August 2009 and July 2010, and immediately sent to the Clinical Laboratory of the Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo of the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo for analysis. Out of all the participants, 36 (43.9%) were male and 46 (56.1%) were female, whose ages ranged from six to 85 years. The study of the occurrence of intestinal parasites indicated that 35 individuals (42.7%) were infected with at least one intestinal parasite. Among helminths, the most frequent were hookworms, with a rate of 14.6%. With regard to protozoa, Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar and Endolimax nana stood out, with frequencies of 23.2%, 8.5% and 4.9%, respectively. The occurrence of biparasitism was observed in 13 of the 82 subjects, accounting for 15.8%, and no cases of multiple parasitic infections were observed. It was concluded that the reduction of cases of intestinal diseases due to parasites will only be achieved with the improvement of basic sanitation and quality of life of quilombola populations.

Helminth eggs and protozoan cysts have great resistance to aggressions and environmental factors. In order to verify the involvement of inanimate objects in the transmission mechanisms of parasitic infections, a parasitological study was carried out with paper money circulating in the city of São Mateus, ES, Brazil, among September 2010 and September 2012. Notes were sent to Laboratório de Análises Clínicas of the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, distributed in plastic containers containing distilled water, stirred and scraped manually. The material from scraping and rinsing was centrifuged and the pellet fraction was analyzed in a light microscope. From a total of 270 samples analyzed, 22 (8.15%) were positive for eggs or cysts of intestinal parasites and R$ 2.00 bill was the most contaminated. Among the parasite species found Giardia duodenalis was the most frequently, which was observed in 2.22% of the samples, followed by Entamoeba coli and hookworm, both with 1.48%, Ascaris lumbricoides, Taenia sp., E. histolytica/E. dispar and free-living nematode larvae all with 0.74% positivity. From the 30 shops analyzed, 10 (33.33%) had paper money positive for parasitic forms and the greater positive frequency was observed in downtown establishment. Considering the large resistance of eggs/cysts of intestinal parasites to environmental conditions and the importance of paper money as transmitting disease, it is noteworthy the imminent need for investments in studies in São Mateus in order to provide better epidemiology survey for parasitic infections.

Intestinal parasites are often associated with morbidities caused to the general population. School children are a major risk group for parasitic infections due to their higher susceptibility and higher degree of exposure to primary sources. Objective: Verify the prevalence of intestinal parasites in children enrolled in Early Childhood Education Centers (CEIM) of São Mateus, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Methodology: Between the months of February 2010 and April 2013, fecal samples were collected from children aged between 1 and 6 years enrolled in CEIM of the city of São Mateus. Prior to the collection and in all CEIM, a lecture to parents/guardians and staff was held in order to clarify the research objectives, to guide on how to collect and store samples and signed the informed consent term. Once collected, the samples were sent to and processed in the Clinical Laboratory of the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo by the spontaneous sedimentation method, and the sediment was examined in triplicate, after staining with lugol. Results: From a total of 378 samples analyzed in 10 CEIM, 137 (36.2%) were positive for various parasitic forms: Giardia lamblia 18.2%, Entamoeba coli 11.1%; E. histolytica/E. dispar 9.0%, Ascaris lumbricoides 5.0%, Hookworm 3.4%, Trichuris trichiura 1.8%, Endolimax nana 2.4%, Enterobius vermicularis 1.6%; Iodamoeba butschli and Hymenolepis nana with 0.3% each. Conclusion: The results showed high prevalence of intestinal parasites, in particular G. lamblia, indicating the need for implementation of preventive, sanitary and educative measures in CEIM, with the participation of the entire school community and parents.