[Epidemiological features of intestinal parasitic infection in Burkina Faso from 1997 to 2007].

A retrospective review of parasitic intestinal infections reported to the Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso from 1997 to 2007 was conducted. Study focused on the results of 904,733 stool examinations performed for parasite detection in public hospital parasitology laboratories. The overall positivity rate for intestinal parasite infection was 54.7%. Protozoa and helminths were identified in 32.0% and 8.0% of stool examinations respectively. The main parasites checked for were amoebas (29.8%), hookworms (5.7%), tapeworms (1.7%) and Schistosoma mansoni (1.6%). Parasites were detected throughout the country and the proportion of positive samples differed significantly from one region to another. These findings highlight the high frequency of laboratory diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infection and demonstrate the need to improve environmental sanitation and provide health education to the population.