Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr-Jun;20(2):289-298.
doi: 10.18502/ijpa.v20i2.19048.

Risk Factor of Blastocystis hominis and Giardia duodenalis among Stunted Children in Bandung Regency, Indonesia

Nisa Fauziah  1   2   3 , Ika Puspa Sari  4 , Lia Faridah  1   5   6 , Irvan Afriandi  7 , Ryadi Adrizain  8 , Naufal Fakhri Nugraha  3   5 , Agnes Kurniawan  4
Affiliations

Risk Factor of Blastocystis hominis and Giardia duodenalis among Stunted Children in Bandung Regency, Indonesia

Nisa Fauziah et al. Iran J Parasitol. 2025 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Stunting, resulting from chronic malnutrition, increases susceptibility to infections due to immature immunity. Blastocystis hominis and Giardia duodenalis may contribute to stunting. We aimed to determine the characteristics of intestinal protozoan infection among stunting children.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 among 280 stunted children in Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Faecal specimens were collected, with portions preserved separately in 10% formaldehyde and RNA Later solution. Of these, 230 met the examination criteria. Risk factors and demographic data were obtained through interviews. DNA was extracted, and intestinal protozoan infection were detected using PCR targeting the 18S SSU rRNA gene for B. hominis and 16S-like RNA gene for G. duodenalis.

Results: The prevalence of G. duodenalis and B. hominis was 5.6% (13/230) and 55.6% (128/230), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified age (P-value 0.004; OR 0.327) and no availability of a septic tank (P-value 0.021; OR 4.881) were the significant risk factors for G. duodenalis infection. For B. hominis infection, significant risk factors included age (P-value 0.033; OR 0.722) and gender (P-value 0.047; OR 1.742).

Conclusion: Stunting and intestinal protozoan infection present a dual burden. G. duodenalis and B. hominis infections were prevalent among stunted children. Significant risk factors included age and septic tank unavailability for G. duodenalis, while age and gender were associated with B. hominis infection. Improved sanitation and targeted interventions are essential to reduce infection risks.

Keywords: Blastocystis hominis; Children; Giardia duodenalis; Intestinal protozoan infection; Stunting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1:
The study covered 16 Primary Health Centers (Puskesmas) in 11 districts. A total of 280 samples were collected, of which 230 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis
Fig. 2:
Fig. 2:
Agarose gel electrophoresis of B. hominis (left) and G. duodenalis (right). The 610 bp PCR amplicons of B. hominis and the 900 bp PCR amplicons of G. duodenalis are shown
Fig. 3:
Fig. 3:
Distribution of Intestinal Protozoan Infection in Bandung Regency
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Wong LW, Ong KS, Khoo JR, et al. Human Intestinal Parasitic Infection: A Narrative Review on Global Prevalence and Epidemiological Insights on Preventive, Therapeutic and Diagnostic Strategies for Future Perspectives. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;14(11):1093–1105. - PubMed
    1. Hajare ST, Gobena RK, Chauhan NM, Eriso F. Prevalence of Intestinal Parasite Infections and Their Associated Factors among Food Handlers Working in Selected Catering Establishments from Bule Hora, Ethiopia. Biomed Res Int. 2021;2021: 6669742. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reh L, Muadica AS, Köster PC, et al. Substantial Prevalence of Enteroparasites Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Blastocystis sp. In Asymptomatic School Children in Madrid, Spain, November 2017 to June 2018. Euro Surveill. 2019;24(43):1900241. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sánchez A, Munoz M, Gómez N, et al. Molecular epidemiology of Giardia, Blastocystis and Cryptosporidium among indigenous children from the Colombian Amazon Basin. Front Microbiol. 2017;8:248. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Maryanti E, Lesmana SD, Mandela H. Deteksi Protozoa Usus Oportunistik pada Penderita Diare Anak di Puskesmas Rawat Inap Pekanbaru. Jurnal Ilmu Kedokteran. 2017;9(1):22–6.

LinkOut - more resources