Prevalence of enteroparasites in a residence for children in the Córdoba Province, Argentina

A study of the prevalence of enteroparasites in a population belonging to a substitute home that gives shelter to orphaned and homeless children was done using conventional methods of analysis. This home is located in Cordoba Province, Argentina, and has the following characteristics: It has nine houses located inside the main plot of ground, that shelter 139 individuals, and 25 houses outside this plot distributed randomly in Unquillo city and that shelter 257 individuals. The overall parasitic infection, pathogen and commensal organisms included, yielded 84.8% and the prevalence of the most important parasites was: Enterobius vermicularis (43.4%), Giardia lamblia (23.0%), Ascaris lumbricoides (13.1%), Entamoeba coli (45.5%), Blastocystis hominis (44.4%) and Endolimax nana (34.6%). We also analyzed the population dividing it according to the residence place (inside or outside the plot), age and sex of the individuals. In reference to the location of the patients, A. lumbricoides and E. coli showed significant prevalence in the individuals living inside the plot (p < 0.001 and p < 0.005, respectively) and of B. hominis in those living outside the main plot (p < 0.005). Results indicated a greater parasitism level in the outside residents (61.5%, p < 0.001). When the individuals were studied according to sex, no significant difference was observed, except for E. vermicularis that showed greater prevalence in the male sex (p < 0.04). When the individuals were grouped according to age ranges, a greater prevalence in individuals from 5 to 14 years was noticed (p < 0.01). In this study is also included an analysis of the multiparasitism level that comprises the whole population.