Ismael S S, Abdullah B H, Sadiq A J, Ajaj J S, Ali N S, Omer D M, Nori N Y
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Duhok, Iraq.
Arch Razi Inst. 2024 Jun 30;79(3):507-512. doi: 10.32592/ARI.2024.79.3.507. eCollection 2024 Jun.
The present study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of intestinal protozoan infection among children in Duhok Province, North of Iraq, from October 2022 to May 2023. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 740 children attending Hevi Pediatric Hospital, Duhok Province, Iraq. Firstly, all collected stool samples were examined directly by preparing a wet stool smear for the detection of the vegetative stage (Trophozoite) of both and lamblia. Thereafter, all stool samples were preserved at -22°C until further use for identifying cysts of protozoa and oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum by the Telmman concentration stool method. The children were within the age range of 1-14 years. Out of 740 stool samples collected, 205 (27.7%) cases were positive for intestinal protozoan infections as follows 160 (78.0%) children tested positive for , 35 (17.1%) were positive for , and only 10 (4.9%) were positive for . Nonetheless, the results indicated a statistically significant difference between the prevalence of , , and infections across different age groups (<0.05). The highest infection rates of intestinal protozoa, namely , , and , were reported in the age ranges of 5-9 years (53.75%, 25.0%, and 60.0%), 1-4 years (28.75%, 20.0%, and 30.0%), and 10-14 years (17.55%, 8.6%, and 10.0%), respectively. In this study, the prevalence of amoebiasis and cryptosporidiosis was reported to be higher than in other studies performed in Iraq, while the prevalence of giardiasis was reported at a lower rate than the rate reported previously in Iraq, especially in Duhok. These infections continue to pose a challenging public health issue, necessitating the implementation of stronger and more effective preventative measures.
本研究旨在确定2022年10月至2023年5月伊拉克北部杜胡克省儿童肠道原生动物感染的患病率。这项横断面研究是对伊拉克杜胡克省赫维儿童医院的740名儿童进行的。首先，通过制备湿粪便涂片直接检查所有采集的粪便样本，以检测溶组织内阿米巴和蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫的滋养体阶段。此后，所有粪便样本保存在-22°C，直到进一步用于通过特尔曼浓缩粪便法鉴定原生动物囊肿和微小隐孢子虫卵囊。这些儿童年龄在1至14岁之间。在收集的740份粪便样本中，205例（27.7%）肠道原生动物感染呈阳性，具体如下：160例（78.0%）儿童溶组织内阿米巴检测呈阳性，35例（17.1%）蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫呈阳性，仅10例（4.9%）微小隐孢子虫呈阳性。尽管如此，结果表明不同年龄组中溶组织内阿米巴、蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫和微小隐孢子虫感染的患病率之间存在统计学显著差异（<0.05）。肠道原生动物感染率最高（即溶组织内阿米巴、蓝氏贾第鞭毛虫和微小隐孢子虫）分别在5至9岁（53.75%、25.0%和60.0%）、1至4岁（28.75%、20.0%和30.0%）以及10至14岁（17.55%、8.6%和10.0%）年龄组中报告。在本研究中，据报告阿米巴病和隐孢子虫病的患病率高于在伊拉克进行的其他研究，而贾第虫病的患病率报告低于伊拉克此前报告的患病率，尤其是在杜胡克。这些感染继续构成具有挑战性的公共卫生问题，需要实施更强有力和更有效的预防措施。
