Giardiasis in Colombia: a Review of the Current Knowledge

Urban versus rural prevalence of intestinal parasites using multi-parallel qPCR in Colombia

“…This is particularly important given that treatment programs for intestinal parasites in Colombia are not aimed at the preschool-age population and do not include treatment for intestinal protozoa. 4,5 Moreover, prevalence data generated from this study provides evidence for local decision making for implementing resources to improve living conditions for urban and rural populations of children in Colombia. 14,19 A major limitation of this study was the lack of G. intestinalis assemblages and Blastocystis subtype identification.…”

“…Data from Colombia on intestinal parasite prevalence in children is limited, especially among preschool-age children. 4, 5 The study population included preschool and school-age children living in urban slums of the city of Medellín (mean age = 2 years) and rural areas of the town of Unguía (mean age = 2.5 years) located in the northwest Andean region of Colombia. Recently, protozoa detected by a molecular approach was reported among school-age children in an urban area of southwest Colombia with a prevalence of 39.2% Blastocystis spp., 10.6% G. intestinalis , and 9.8% Cryptosporidium spp.…”

“…14 G. intestinalis represents a significant public health problem worldwide. 3, 5 Giardiasis can cause acute or chronic diarrhea but is often asymptomatic and is associated with detrimental impacts to growth and development in children. 5,14 In the present study, G. intestinalis spiking studies were also conducted, from which cysts per gram of stool were calculated.…”

“…3, 5 Giardiasis can cause acute or chronic diarrhea but is often asymptomatic and is associated with detrimental impacts to growth and development in children. 5,14 In the present study, G. intestinalis spiking studies were also conducted, from which cysts per gram of stool were calculated. Subsequently, similar G. intestinalis infection burden was found among urban slum and rural children (Figure 1), suggesting exposure to similar risk factors for giardiasis in both settings.…”

“…Subsequently, similar G. intestinalis infection burden was found among urban slum and rural children (Figure 1), suggesting exposure to similar risk factors for giardiasis in both settings. Because fecal contamination of drinking water is the most common source of G. intestinalis cysts from domestic animal and human origins, 5, 14 the inadequate or lack of access to clean water typically found in resource-deprived urban slum and rural areas of developing countries may explain the prevalence and parasite burden in the study population.…”