Osong Public Health Res Perspect.  2021 Oct;12(5):333-341. 10.24171/j.phrp.2021.0181.

Comparative study of the intestinal parasitism profiles between communities across the 5 municipalities of the Barranquilla metropolitan area, Colombia

• Sarmiento-Rubiano LA
• Filott M
• Gómez L
• Suarez-Marenco M
• Sarmiento MC
• Becerra JE

• KMID: 2523346
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2021.0181

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of this study was to compare the rate of parasitism and intestinal parasitism profiles of children who live in relatively proximal communities across the 5 municipalities of the Barranquilla metropolitan area, Colombia.
Methods
In total, 986 fecal samples from children aged 1 to 10 were analyzed using a direct method (physiological saline and lugol) and the zinc sulfate flotation technique. A comparative analysis of the parasitism profiles between sampling locations (7 schools and 3 health centers providing growth and development services) was conducted using principal component analysis (PCA). The presence of Taenia solium antibodies was evaluated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method in 269 serum samples from the same group of children.
Results
The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitism was 57.6% (range, 42.1%–77.6%) across the sampling areas. The prevalence of helminthiasis was between 4.1% and 23.7%, and that of intestinal protozoa was between 38.2% and 73.5%. PCA showed that the parasite profiles of each sampling location shared no common characteristics. A total of 3.0% of the serum samples were positive for T. solium antibodies.
Conclusion
The intestinal parasitism profiles between relatively proximal sampling locations with similar geographic conditions were vastly different, indicating the need to study each small ecological niche on a localized scale to develop more cost-effective interventions for controlling intestinal parasitism.

Keyword

Helminthiasis; Neglected diseases; Parasites; Taenia solium