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. 2022 Apr;29(4):2782-2786.
doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.12.055. Epub 2022 Jan 3.

Risk factors associated with intestinal pathogenic parasites in schoolchildren

Wali Khan  1 , Hafeezur Rahman  2 , Naseem Rafiq  2 , Muhammad Kabir  3 , Munawar Salim Ahmed  4 , P De Los Rios Escalante  5   6
Affiliations

Risk factors associated with intestinal pathogenic parasites in schoolchildren

Wali Khan et al. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Diseases caused by intestinal parasites impose a substantial burden on population of middle income countries including Pakistan. This research was aimed to assess the risk factors for intestinal parasites in school children of Malakand, Pakistan. Two hundred and eighty eight students were enrolled between February and June 2016. Out of the total enrolled 184 were agreed to collect stool specimens. A questionnaire was also used to collect the data on socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the participants. All the students were guided to collect at least 10gof their own stool specimens. Each of the stool specimens was diagnosed for the presence of any stage of helminth or protozoal parasites. Formal ether concentration method and wet mount techniques were applied. One way ANOVA was used for calculation of P value when it was less than 0.05 which was considered significant. Eighty two percent of the participants were found infected with one species of parasite while 69.9% of the participants were infected with more than one species of intestinal parasites. The most prevalent parasite was hook worm 33.4% (n = 99/296) followed by Taenia saginata 28.7% (n = 85/296), Ascaris lumbricoides 27.7% (n = 82/296), Hymenolepis nana 6.08% (n = 18/296), Entamoeba histolytica 3.37% (n = 10/296) and least for each Enterobius vermicularis and Fasciola hepatica 0.37% (n = 1/296). Previously used drugs, level in school, ages, weight and upper arm circumference were the most significantly (P < 0.05) related factors for the occurrence of intestinal parasite infection. Present research endorsed that risk factors play a key role in the transmission of parasitic diseases. Lack of safe water supply, using raw vegetables, animal keeping, which should be considered for sustainable strategies in the control of these infections preferably in remote parts of the world.

Keywords: Children; Geo-helminths; Intestinal parasitic infection; Prevalence; Risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Further Reading

    1. Chaudhry Z.H., Afzal M., Malik M.A. Epidemiological factors affecting prevalence of intestinal parasites in children of Muzaffarabad district. Pakistan J. Zool. 2004;36(4):267–271.
    1. Hafeez S., Ali Z., Zafar A. Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infestation at children hospital of Lahore. Pak. J. Med. Health Sci. 2018;12(2):645–648.
    1. Khan W., Noor un Nisa, Khan A. Fasciola hepatica infection in Swat, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 2014;46(6):1789–1790. In this issue.
    1. Naheed S., Yasmin N., Jawaria N., Mohammad N. Gastro intestinal tract parasites study among disable centers in Quetta city, Pakistan. Proc. Parasitol. 2009;47:53–59.
    1. Rahoo A.M., Mukhtar T., Bughio B.A., Rahoo R.K. Relationship between the size of Galleria mellonella larvae and the production of Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Pakistan J. Zool. 2019;51(1)

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