TY - JOUR
T1 - The association of Blastocystis hominis and Endolimax nana with diarrheal stools in Zambian school-age children
AU - Graczyk, Thaddeus K.
AU - Shiff, Clive K.
AU - Tamang, Leena
AU - Munsaka, Fair
AU - Beitin, Anna M.
AU - Moss, William J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements We thank Zambian health officials and employees of The Malaria Institute at Macha, Zambia, for facilitating this study. The study was supported by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
PY - 2005/12
Y1 - 2005/12
N2 - To determine the prevalence of endoparasites and their association with diarrhea, a survey was conducted in the Southern Province of Zambia that used conventional and molecular techniques applied to stool and urine samples from school-age children (n=93). Almost half of the stools (49.5%) were diarrhetic. The overall prevalence of Endolimax nana, Schistosoma haematobium, Blastocystis hominis, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, and Strongyloides stercoralis was 64.3, 59.1, 53.8, 19.4, 8.6, 8.6, and 1.1%, respectively. Only the associations between infection with B. hominis and E. nana with diarrhea were statistically significant. Although B. hominis and E. nana are considered to be nonpathogenic organisms, this study demonstrated that they can be associated with diarrhea in children when they occur at high prevalence and intensity. This survey supports the recent evidence that B. hominis and E. nana infections are associated with deficient sanitation and low hygiene standards and can contribute to diarrhea in children in developing countries.
AB - To determine the prevalence of endoparasites and their association with diarrhea, a survey was conducted in the Southern Province of Zambia that used conventional and molecular techniques applied to stool and urine samples from school-age children (n=93). Almost half of the stools (49.5%) were diarrhetic. The overall prevalence of Endolimax nana, Schistosoma haematobium, Blastocystis hominis, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, and Strongyloides stercoralis was 64.3, 59.1, 53.8, 19.4, 8.6, 8.6, and 1.1%, respectively. Only the associations between infection with B. hominis and E. nana with diarrhea were statistically significant. Although B. hominis and E. nana are considered to be nonpathogenic organisms, this study demonstrated that they can be associated with diarrhea in children when they occur at high prevalence and intensity. This survey supports the recent evidence that B. hominis and E. nana infections are associated with deficient sanitation and low hygiene standards and can contribute to diarrhea in children in developing countries.
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U2 - 10.1007/s00436-005-0003-0
DO - 10.1007/s00436-005-0003-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 16249910
AN - SCOPUS:27944446431
SN - 0932-0113
VL - 98
SP - 38
EP - 43
JO - Parasitology Research
JF - Parasitology Research
IS - 1
ER -