Helminthic infection and anthropometric indicators in children from a tropical slum: Ascaris reinfection after anthelmintic treatment

Abstract

We evaluated helminthic infection and anthropometric indicators of nutritional status in a group of school-age children from a slum area of Caracas, Venezuela. The proportions of children at or below the 10th percentiles for height/age and weight/age were significantly higher in those presenting helminthiasis than in those uninfected. Although this could partially reflect a codependence of both helminthic infection and undernutrition or poverty, when the children were administered regular anthelmintic treatment for a year their anthropometric values improved significantly. When they were re-evaluated 8 months after the end of anthelmintic administration, the degree of reinfection by the most common helminth, Ascaris lumbricoides, was significantly higher in the growth-retarded children. These results confirm the relationship between helminthic infection and decreased growth rates in underprivileged populations, and indicate that children at nutritional risk are more susceptible to such infections, even after a prolonged parasite-free period.

Hookworm Infection among School Age Children in Kintampo North Municipality, Ghana: Nutritional Risk Factors and Response to Albendazole Treatment

“…44 Numerous cross-sectional studies have confirmed an association between poor nutritional status and intestinal helminth infections, [45][46][47][48] and recent studies suggest that malnutrition increases susceptibility to helminth infection and re-infection. [49][50][51] Our data are also supported by animal studies showing that protein supplementation confers protection against nematode infections. 52-54 Thus, the finding in KNM of lower rates of hookworm among children who consume higher amounts of animal source foods provides further evidence that nutritional status may affect susceptibility to hookworm infection in this population.…”

Epidemiology of Hookworm Infection in Kintampo North Municipality, Ghana: Patterns of Malaria Coinfection, Anemia, and Albendazole Treatment Failure

“…[66][67][68][69][70][71] Several recent studies have followed infected children after deworming to determine the influence of nutritional factors on reinfection. Hagel and others 72 in Venezuela found that children aged 6-11 years with lower height for age z score (HAZ) and weight for age z score (WAZ) scores had significantly higher risks of reinfection with Ascaris 8 months after completing treatment . Similarly, rural schoolchildren in Malaysia who were stunted had significantly higher rates of reinfection with STNs, 73 and a study in Brazil found a significantly higher rate of reinfection in undernourished children (38%) than in those who were well-nourished (25%).…”

Impact of two rounds of mass drug administration using diethylcarbamazine combined with albendazole on the prevalence of Brugia timoriand of intestinal helminths on Alor Island, Indonesia

“…Children have an especially high risk for re- or new-infections and show a lower decrease in worm burden compared to adults [35]. In another study it was observed that eight months after treatment 55% of children were re-infected [36]. Re-infection with A. lumbricoides may return six months after treatment to almost 90% of the pre-treatment prevalence and worm density may drop to about 75% [35].…”

“…The combination of DEC with alb showed different results, ranging from no significant impact on the prevalence but with significant egg reduction of 79.4% one week after treatment, to a cure rate of 81.6% and an egg reduction of 84% [10,34]. The study from Sri Lanka reported that this drug combination has a cure rate of 30% and an egg reduction rate of 70% [36]. …”