Intestinal parasitism in the Xavánte Indians, Central Brazil

Abstract

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.

Enteroparasites and commensals among individuals living in rural and urban areas in Abadia dos Dourados, Minas Gerais state, Brazil

“…Another possibility is the use of unfiltrated water that may be contaminated by fecal residue of humans or animals that live freely together with man on the farm. However, the data found that G. lamblia show similar results to that described in the national literature 18,26 . The amoebae found in the gastrointestinal tract, Entamoeba coli, Entamoeba hartmanni, E. nana, and Iodamoeba butschlii, are not harmful to humans, but many people are infected 27 .…”

Capillaria hepatica (Bancroft, 1893) (Nematoda) entre populações indígenas e mamíferos silvestres no noroeste do Estado do Mato Grosso, Brasil, 2000

“…Relatos prévios da ocorrência de ovos de C. hepatica nas fezes de indígenas na região também foram relacionados à ingestão de fígado de animais 9,16,17 silvestres . De modo similar, um relato de infecção espúria associada ao consumo de fígado de anta (Tapirus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758) foi descrito em uma moradora não indígena de uma comunidade ribeirinha no rio 3 Negro, Amazonas .…”

Intestinal parasitism and socio-environmental factors among Mbyá-Guarani indians, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

“…High infection rates due to intestinal parasites as well as the coexistence of different enteroparasitic species have been observed in Brazilian indigenous populations with harmful effects on their health, as reported among the Xavánte population (Central-West Brazil), Parakanã (Northern Brazil), Pankararu (Northeastern Brazil), Terena Indians (Central-West Brazil), Iauareté (Northern Brazil) and Kaingáng community (Southern Brazil) 1,2,7,137,16,18 . Several factors are responsible for the alarming number of parasitism in the Mbyá-Guarani village such as the practice of open defecation in the bushes surrounding the houses and the non-use of footware, especially among children 13,15,18 .…”

“…This fact results in higher susceptibility among native indigenous people to local endemic illnesses such as enteroparasitic infections 13,18 . The indigenous population constitutes a socioeconomically disadvantaged segment in Brazil, and it is therefore vulnerable to infectious and parasitic diseases due to lack of instruction, deficient access to drinking water, feeding, health care, personal hygiene, and basic sanitation 2,3,13,15,16,19,20 . The prevalence of infectious and parasitic diseases is high among Amerindian populations 18 .…”