Giardia duodenalis infection: risk factors for children living in sub-standard settlements in Brazil

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to characterize Giardia duodenalis infection among children living in sub-standard settlement areas in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The cross-sectional epidemiological study included 590 children from 1 to 5 years of age. Data were collected from one child per selected family through home interviews with the parent or guardian and parasitological examination of stool samples. Thirty-one putative risk factors concerning family structure, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Prevalence of G. duodenalis infection was 18% (106 children). Four potential risk factors were heavily associated with G. duodenalis infection: number of under-five children in the same household, index child's birth order, existence of a bathroom in the home, and drinking water source.

Prediction of Child Health by Household Density and Asset-Based Indices in Impoverished Indigenous Villages in Rural Panamá

“…infections (lasting ! 14 days) in studies in Brazil of urban preschool children 54 or peri-urban children < 1-12 years of age (mean age ¼ 3.4 years). 40 Chronic infection and diarrhea were also higher in children with poor hygiene and from households with low water quality.…”

Epidemiological, parasitological and molecular aspects of Giardia duodenalis infection in children attending public daycare centers in southeastern Brazil

“…The prevalence of 51.8% found for G. duodenalis was higher than that found in previous studies conducted in several regions in Brazil, which reported positivity of 8-29%. 16,17 According to Thompson,2 the high prevalence at daycare centers suggests an infection pattern similar to that of enteric bacterial infections, which are introduced by a single child, spread rapidly, remain in the environment and serve as a source of future infections. Worldwide prevalence studies indicate that the parasite is cosmopolitan, reaching rates of 2-5% in industrialized countries and 20-30% in developing countries.…”

<i>Giardia lamblia</i> and respiratory allergies: a study of children from an urban area with a high incidence of protozoan infections

“…Outro fator importante é o uso indiscriminado de antiparasitários, já que tem sido relatado que pacientes previamente tratados com anti-helmínticos, em dose única, apresentaram redução nas infecções por A. lumbricoides e T. trichiura, porém elevação da infecção por G. lamblia 24 . A prevalência verificada no presente estudo foi semelhante àquelas encontradas em outros trabalhos realizados com diferentes amostras da população brasileira de baixa condição socioeconômica [25][26][27] . Apesar de a área de estudo ser endêmica para geo-helmintíases, neste estudo não houve interferência de coinfecções ativas por helmintos.…”