High prevalence of enteroparasitosis in urban slums of Belo Horizonte-Brazil. Presence of enteroparasites as a risk factor in the family group

Abstract

The present study evaluates the prevalence of enteroparasitosis in the urban slums of Belo Horizonte, Brazil and the risk of transmitting enteroparasites to the family members of infected individuals. Stool samples were collected and examined at clinical laboratories near each slum. Individuals were identified and classified as positive for parasitosis (IP z ), and individuals with negative stool tests were classified as negative for parasitosis (IP 2 ) and enrolled as control patients. We collected samples from 594 patients, of which 20.2% and 79.8% were classified as IP z and IP 2 , respectively. In addition, 744 family members (FIPs) effectively participated in the study by providing fecal samples. In total, 1338 participants were evaluated. Of these, 34.6% were tested positive for parasitosis. Blastocystis was the most prevalent parasite, infecting 22.4% of individuals. Among FIPs, the overall prevalence was 46.1%. Of these, 50.6% and 44.7% were classified as FIPs z and FIPs 2 , respectively. These results showed that IP z did not impact the prevalence of infection within the studied communities, not constituting index cases of specific risk behaviors, suggesting that, in fact, these communities are exposed to similar oral-fecal routes of contamination.

High prevalence of enteroparasites in children from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

“…G. lamblia was the most prevalent parasite in the examined population (50.8%), a finding that corroborates those of other coproparasitological studies conducted in Brazil (1,(5)(6)(7)13,16) . The transmission of G. lamblia occurs primarily by contaminated water and unclean hands.…”

“…A study in municipal day care centers in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro (6) found that the prevalence of parasites was 61.3%, with a predominance of Giardia lamblia (G.lamblia). In Minas Gerais (MG), a study found that the prevalence of intestinal parasites was 34.6% (n=1338) in urban slums (7) .…”

Giardia intestinalis infection associated with malnutrition in children living in northeastern Brazil

“…Intestinal parasitoses are neglected conditions linked to poverty and poor sanitation, being more prevalent in developing countries [1,2]. Among the protozoan parasites, Giardia intestinalis is present in distinct sociodemographic settings, being a potentially zoonotic pathogen [3][4][5][6].…”

High Frequency of Enteroparasitoses in the Municipality of Oiapoque, Amapá State, Brazil, on the Border With French Guiana

“…Among the different ameba species, E. histolytica is the only species considered invasive, especially in tropical regions and communities living in inadequate sanitary conditions [19]. Although many individuals are contaminated by commensal amoebae, most infections are asymptomatic [20,21]. The results show low numbers of this parasite, which indicates that the parasite may not be endemic in the region.…”