Prevalence of Diarrhea Caused by Intestinal Parasites in Children in AL-Kufa City, Iraq

Abstract

Background: Intestinal parasites are one of the most common causes of diarrhea in children and it has almost global prevalence with high prevalence rates in developing countries. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare between the prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) and Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) as a cause of diarrhea in children in AL-Kufa City, Iraq. Patients and methods: Four hundred children with age ranged between 1-10 years old that had diarrhea and were admitted to the General Hospital in AL-Kufa City from June 2021 to February 2022. Parasites were diagnosed according to stool microscopic examination. Results: Out of 400 children, there were 325 infected by parasites (190 E. histolytica and 135 G. lamblia), age group 4-6 yeas was the most infected with 80 and 54 cases by E. histolytica and G. lamblia respectively. The rural area was the highest infected than urban with 105 and 85 cases by E. histolytica respectively, and 90 and 45 by G. lamblia respectively. Conclusion: There were high prevalence of diarrheal infections in children caused by E. histolytica and G. lamblia, and the most infections were more in rural than urban.