Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal protozoan infections in children (2-15 yr old) from Lorestan Province, western Iran.

Intestinal parasitic infections are considered as one of the main socioeconomic and health problems around the world, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites in 366 children (2- 15 yr old) admitted to health centers of Lorestan Province, Iran. Microscopic examination was performed on 366 stools using the direct smear and formol-ether techniques as well as trichrome and modified Zeihl-Neelsen staining methods. The results showed that 48 children (13.1%) were infected with at least one or more intestinal parasites, of whom 4 (7.1%) had more than one type of parasite. The most prevalent parasites were Giardia lamblia (5.5%), Blastocystis hominis (3.1%), and Entamoeba coli (1.6%), respectively. The study showed that some risk factors such as gender, living in rural areas and consuming unwashed vegetables and fruits (p<0.001) were significantly related to intestinal protozoan infections. These results can be a catalyst for health providers to pay special attention to intestinal protozoan parasites among children in Lorestan Province, Iran. Moreover, intervention curriculums and teaching of children and environmental hygiene must be taken into consideration to prevent and control intestinal protozoan infections in this area.