<b>Occurrence of enteroparasitosis in schoolchildren of the municipal district of Jataizinho, State of Paraná, Brazil</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v28i2.1063

Abstract

The enteroparasitoses are responsible for high death rates, mainly in developing countries where population growth is not followed by improvement in the population’s standard of living. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of and the factors associated with enteroparasitosis in schoolchildren from Jataizinho, State of Paraná, Brazil. 264 fecal samples were analyzed by sedimentation in water, direct technique and Kato-Katz methods. The general prevalence of enteroparasitosis was of 68.2% (180/264). The most frequent protozoans were Endolimax nana (47.5%) and Entamoeba coli (23.1%). Already among the helminthes were Ascaris lumbricoides (10.2%) and Trichuris trichiura (6.1%). There was a predominance of poliparasitism cases (50.5%) in relation to the monoparasitism (49.5%). Schistosoma mansoni eggs were found in four (1.5%) of the analyzed samples. The main factor associated with intestinal parasitosis was related to the habit of bathing in rivers, streams or lakes (OR = 2.78; IC 95%; 1.32 – 5.92). According to the results obtained, sanitary education measures should be urgently implemented, emphasizing the risk of the habit of bathing in rivers and lakes, better personal hygiene habits and hygiene procedures for food