Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Sari Medical School, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Aug;106(8):455-9. doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2012.05.010. Epub 2012 Jun 15.
Parasitic infection is highly prevalent throughout the developing countries of the world. Research on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in various geographic regions is a prerequisite for the development of appropriate control strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in public primary and secondary schools in the urban areas of Sari, Mazandaran province, northern Iran. The study was conducted from November 2009 to June 2010. A total of 1100 stool samples from 607 males and 493 females aged 7-14 years were examined by direct wet mounting, formalin-ether concentration, and Ziehl-Neelsen and trichrome permanent staining methods. A parental questionnaire for common risk factors was completed for each participant. Mono- or poly-parasitism was detected in 367 (33.3%) of the children (32.6% of males and 34.2% of females). Various species of protozoan or helminth infections were detected: Blastocystis hominis seemed to be the most prevalent parasite (13.5%) followed by Giardia lamblia (10.6%), Entamoeba coli (7.2%), Endolimax nana (1.5%), Enterobius vermicularis (2.2%), Trichostrongylus sp. (2.1%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (1.6%). The prevalence of intestinal parasite infections in females was slightly higher than in males, though without a statistically significant difference (p=0.56). No age association was detected, and a slightly lower positive association with increasing age was observed (p=0.33). A significant association was observed with parents' educational level, household income and practice of hand washing before meals (p<0.01). Although paediatric pathogenic intestinal parasite infections are not more prevalent in this geographical area than in other regions, improvements in personal hygienic conditions and behavioural characteristics is important to completely control parasitic infections in schoolchildren in northern Iran.
寄生虫感染在世界上发展中国家非常普遍。研究不同地理区域的肠道寄生虫感染患病率是制定适当控制策略的前提。本研究采用横断面研究方法，于 2009 年 11 月至 2010 年 6 月期间，对伊朗北部马赞达兰省萨里市城区公立小学和中学的学生进行了肠道寄生虫感染的患病率调查。共采集 1100 份 7-14 岁学生的粪便样本，采用直接湿片镜检、甲醛乙醚沉淀集卵法和改良抗酸染色法进行检查，并对每位参与者完成了一份有关常见危险因素的家长调查问卷。结果显示，367 名（33.3%）儿童存在单重或多重寄生虫感染（男生占 32.6%，女生占 34.2%）。共检测到各种原虫或蠕虫感染：其中，人芽囊原虫感染最为常见（13.5%），其次为蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫（10.6%）、结肠内阿米巴（7.2%）、内氏棘阿米巴（1.5%）、蠕形住肠线虫（2.2%）、毛首鞭形线虫（2.1%）和粪类圆线虫（1.6%）。女性寄生虫感染的患病率略高于男性，但无统计学差异（p=0.56）。未发现年龄相关性，且随着年龄的增加，阳性率呈略低的正相关（p=0.33）。调查发现，父母的教育程度、家庭收入和饭前洗手习惯与肠道寄生虫感染显著相关（p<0.01）。尽管在该地区，儿童感染肠道寄生虫的情况并不比其他地区更为普遍，但改善个人卫生条件和行为特征对于在伊朗北部完全控制儿童寄生虫感染至关重要。
