Infections with Giardia duodenalis and Entamoeba histolytica/ Entamoeba dispar as Hidden and Prevalent Conditions in Periurban Communities in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Deiviane A Calegar; Kerla J L Monteiro; Andressa B Gonçalves; Márcio N Boia; Lauren H Jaeger; Beatriz C Nunes; Filipe A Carvalho-Costa

doi:10.1155/2020/3134849

Infections with Giardia duodenalis and Entamoeba histolytica/ Entamoeba dispar as Hidden and Prevalent Conditions in Periurban Communities in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

J Trop Med. 2020 Jul 14:2020:3134849. doi: 10.1155/2020/3134849. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Deiviane A Calegar¹, Kerla J L Monteiro^{1

2}, Andressa B Gonçalves¹, Márcio N Boia³, Lauren H Jaeger^{1

4}, Beatriz C Nunes^{1

5}, Filipe A Carvalho-Costa^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Sistemática Molecular, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil.
² Escritório Técnico Regional-Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Magalhães Filho, 519, Centro/Norte, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil.
³ Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil.
⁴ Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, S/n-Campus Universitário, Bairro São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
⁵ Faculdade de Medicina de Petrópolis (FMP)/Faculdade Arthur Sá Earp Neto (FASE), Rua Machado Fagundes, 326, Cascatinha, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Abstract

This study aims to assess the prevalence, distribution, and etiological profile of intestinal parasitism in children living in periurban areas in Cachoeiras de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A community-based cross-sectional survey (n = 479) was carried out. Prevalence of infection with G. duodenalis and E. histolytica/E. dispar was 8.6% (n = 41) and 13.4% (n = 64), respectively. Infection with G. duodenalis was significantly more frequent among children living in poor families (24/187 (12.8%) vs. 16/272 (5.9%); prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.19-3.99; p=0.011). This difference was also significant for infection with any pathogenic parasite (43/187 (23%) vs. 40/272 (14/7%); PR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.06-2.30; p=0.026). In addition, people residing in houses with more than four inhabitants showed significantly higher positivity for infections with G. duodenalis and with E. histolytica/E. dispar (22/138 (15.9%) vs. 16/311 (5.1%); PR = 3.09; 95% CI = 1.68-5.71; p < 0.001 for G. duodenalis and 32/138 (23.2%) vs. 30/311 (9.6%); PR = 2.40; 95% CI = 1.52-3.79; p < 0.001 for E. histolytica/E. dispar). Laboratory diagnosis of protozoan enteric infections and effective drugs for their treatment are unmet goals in the primary health care system. Therefore, giardiasis and amebiasis are neglected conditions.