Prevalence of intestinal parasites in patients who attended the laboratory Laboclin S.R.L.

Abstract

Introduction: Intestinal parasites are infections of the gastrointestinal tract that can be caused by the ingestion of protozoan cysts, worm eggs, or larvae or by the penetration of the larvae through the skin. The objective of this research was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and correlate age and sex in patients who attended Laboratorio Laboclin S.R.L. Methodology: stool samples were collected from 511 patients and analyzed by direct coproparasitological examination. Results: A prevalence of intestinal parasites of 49.1% was determined. The most prevalent parasitic species was Entamoeba histolytica 41.1%, followed by Endolimax nana 2.0%, Giardia lamblia and respectively. The male sex presents a higher prevalence of intestinal parasites with 28.2% (P>0.05). The age group 1-10 years presented a higher prevalence of intestinal parasites with 43.4% (P < 0.05), with a predominance of Entamoeba histolytica. Discussion: The most prevalent pathogenic parasite was Entamoeba histolytica, which predominated in the age group from 1 to 10 years, but the prevalence of intestinal parasites was low in other age groups.