Prevalence and Clinical Manifestations of Giardia intestinalis and Other Intestinal Parasites in Children and Adults in Algeria

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Jan 18;104(3):910-916. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0187.

Abstract

Giardia intestinalis is one of the most common causes of parasite-induced diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, and malabsorption. Yet, data on the epidemiology of G. intestinalis infections in North Africa are limited. The purpose of this study was to carry out a retrospective survey on the level of intestinal parasitism with a particular emphasis on G. intestinalis in children and adults in Algiers, Algeria. A total of 2,054 individuals from outpatient clinics or hospitalized at Beni-Messous University Hospital of Algiers undergoing stool microscopy for ova and parasites were included. The overall parasite infection rate was 28%. In the 567 parasite-positive samples, Blastocystis was found most frequently (57.3%), followed in frequency by Endolimax nana (41.0%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (19.6%), G. intestinalis (17.1%), Entamoeba coli (13.9%), Chilomastix mesnili (1.0%), Iodamoeba bütschlii (0.7%), Entamoeba hartmanni (0.5%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (0.2%). Intestinal parasites were generally more common in adults than in children, except for Giardia, which was more common in children (P = 0.0001). Giardia infection was independent of gender (P = 0.94). Compared with other intestinal parasitic infections, clinical manifestations, such as abdominal pain (P = 0.28) and diarrhea (P = 0.82), were found not to be significantly linked to Giardia infection. In conclusion, G. intestinalis is common in individuals referred to the University Hospital of Beni-Messous with digestive symptoms, particularly so in children. However, in our study, intestinal symptoms appeared not to be more linked to Giardia than to other intestinal parasites.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Algeria / epidemiology
  • Animals
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Epidemiological Monitoring*
  • Feces / parasitology*
  • Female
  • Giardia / isolation & purification
  • Giardiasis / diagnosis*
  • Giardiasis / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / diagnosis*
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / epidemiology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sex Factors
  • Young Adult