Intestinal parasitic infections in Zahedan day-care units

SM Davoudi; m Zangiabadi; Masoud Salehi; Mohsen Javadzadeh

Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

The Official Journal of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

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Intestinal parasitic infections in Zahedan day-care units

Author(s):

SM Davoudi^1,*,

m Zangiabadi¹,

Masoud Salehi²,

Mohsen Javadzadeh³

1Parasitology and mycology dept, Faculty of medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and health services, Zahedan, Iran.

2Tropical and Infectious disease dept, Faculty of medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and health services, Zahedan, Iran.

3Pediatric disease dept, Faculty of medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and health services, Zahedan, Iran.

Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences:Vol. 6, issue 2; e95019

Published online:Jun 20, 2004

Article type:Research Article

Received:May 26, 2004

Accepted:Jun 08, 2004

How to Cite:SM Davoudim ZangiabadiMasoud SalehiMohsen JavadzadehIntestinal parasitic infections in Zahedan day-care units.Zahedan J Res Med Sci.6(2):e95019.

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of infection with bowel parasites is still remarkably high in
children of developing countries. Day-care units usually serve for the infants and children as
their primary site of social contact; so we aimed to determine the frequency rate of bowel
infections in children attending these places, on their arrival and comparing it with this
frequency 4-6 months afterwards.
Methods and Materials: In this descriptive-analytic longitudinal study performed during the
latter half of 1378, a total of 853 children of 4-6 years were randomly selected from day-care
units of different regions in Zahedan. After recording the demographic data, a direct stool
exam, scatch test and formaline-etter test were done. In the first stage 411 and in the next
stage (4-6 months later) 438 children were studied. Chi-square test was used to compare the
infection rate between the first and second stages.
Results: The rate of infected children was 19.1% and 42% in the first and the second stages
respectively. The highest increase in infection rate belonged to Oxyuris which increased from
4.7% in stage one to 15.5% in stage two. The rate of infection with Giardia lambelia and
Hemonolepsis nana was 10.6% and 3.1% in stage one, which respectively raised to 15% and
4.6% in stage two. The above increment was significant (P<0.05). Totally 835 children all
younger than 6 years old were studied in the two stages of which 263 (30.8%) had at least one
type of infection. The frequency of infection with Oxyuris was 78 in 785 prepared slides.
Conclusions: Considering the life cycle of bowel parasites and their routes of transmission,
it seems that we face shortness in knowledge of workers in day-care centers and also an
insufficiency in practice of sanitary principles. A closer study of effective factors in
transmission of infestation in these centers and their elimination, periodically testing the
children and their care-givers, and finally programs of hygiene education and control for the
workers seems a necessity.

Keywords

Infection

Bowel parasite

Day-care units

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References

1.
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