Randomised health-point surveillance of human gastro-intestinal parasites among patients attending a teaching hospital in Ishaka, Uganda
Abstract number: P1251
Agwu E., Tananyen G.
Background/Objective: The upsurge of: poverty; shortage of clean drinking water; poor nutrition, health education, health-facilities, personal and environmental hygiene in sub-Saharan Africa has raised infection due to human gastro-intestinal parasite to a public health dimension. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients attending KIU-TH Ishaka, Bushenyi, Uganda.
Materials and Methods: Standard parasitological methods were used under aseptic conditions to screen stool samples for intestinal parasites. Seventy six (26 males and 50 female) out patients diagnosed with lower abdominal pain and gastro-intestinal discomfort at KIU-TH were recruited for this investigation. Patients on anti parasitic agents were excluded. Chi square was used to test for statistical significance of result obtained. (p = 0.05).
Results: The overall prevalence of parasites was 52 (68.4%). The most prevalent parasites were Entamoeba histolytica 17 (22.4%) followed by Entamoeba coli 11 (14.5%) and Ascaris lumbricoides 7 (9.2%). Giardia lamblia 2 (2.6%) and Trichomonas hominis 2 (2.6%) were equally prevalent while the observed 7.9% co-infection of Ascaris spp and E. histolytica was the highest co-infection rate followed by 3.9% co-infection of Ascaris lumbricoides and Giardia lamblia, 2.6%Trichomonas hominis and Ascaris lumbricoides. There was similar male/female prevalence ratio (69.2%: 68.0%) of intestinal parasites. Most patients above 10 years were peasant farmers. The highest age specific prevalence (89.5%) was observed among age group 2130 years. This was followed by 81.8% of patients, 4150 years of age; 80.0% in age group 1120 years; 61.5% in age group 3140 years; 60.0% in age group 5160 years and 50.0% in age group >60 years. There were statistical significant differences (p < 0.05) when occupation, sex and age groups were tested depicting their role in the epidemiology of parasitic infections in the studied population.
Conclusion: Intestinal parasites were highly prevalent (68.4%) and Ascaris spp and Entamoeba histolytica occurring both as single and mixed infection are the most predominant parasites causing lower abdominal pain and intestinal discomfort in Bushenyi. Parasitic prevalence were significantly (p < 0.05) dependent on age, occupation and sex. More studies are needed to determine prevalence in different age and occupational settings. Intervention strategies are paramount in reducing infection to barest minimum.
|Session name:||19th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases|
|Location:||Helsinki, Finland, 16 - 19 May 2009|
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