Leining Lauren M, Erickson Timothy A, Hanis Craig L, Bauer Cici, Murry Maya D, Brown Eric L, Mejia Rojelio, Gunter Sarah M
Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2025 Jan 28;112(4):816-818. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.24-0364. Print 2025 Apr 2.
The burden of pathogenic enteric protozoa and soil-transmitted helminths among impoverished populations living on the Texas-Mexico border is unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study on an ongoing longitudinal cohort of 616 adults residing in Starr County, Texas. A total of 359 adults were screened for four protozoa and five soil-transmitted helminths by using real-time polymerase chain reaction. This analysis identified 48 (13.4%) participants who tested positive for Blastocystis sp., three (0.8%) who tested positive for Giardia intestinalis, and one (0.3%) who tested positive for Strongyloides stercoralis and was also coinfected with Blastocystis sp. Infection was significantly associated with age, a lack of health insurance, and living outside of a colonia. We recommend additional epidemiologic investigations to examine risk factors contributing to protozoa and soil-transmitted helminth disease transmission in border counties.
生活在得克萨斯州与墨西哥边境的贫困人群中致病性肠道原生动物和土壤传播蠕虫的负担尚不清楚。我们对得克萨斯州斯塔尔县616名成年人的一个正在进行的纵向队列进行了一项横断面研究。通过实时聚合酶链反应对总共359名成年人进行了四种原生动物和五种土壤传播蠕虫的筛查。该分析确定了48名（13.4%）检测到芽囊原虫呈阳性的参与者、3名（0.8%）检测到肠贾第虫呈阳性的参与者以及1名（0.3%）检测到粪类圆线虫呈阳性且同时感染芽囊原虫的参与者。感染与年龄、缺乏医疗保险以及居住在聚居区之外显著相关。我们建议进行更多的流行病学调查，以研究边境县原生动物和土壤传播蠕虫疾病传播的危险因素。
