SUMMARYThe objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of intestinal parasites inside public restrooms and buses from a Brazilian city. Sample material was obtained using a transparent adhesive tape. Thirty two public restrooms were investigated and two (6.25%) were contaminated with helminth eggs (Ascaris lumbricoides and Enterobius vermicularis). Of the sixteen different bus lines, three (18.7%) were found to harbor eggs of E. vermicularis. Public restrooms and buses can be an important source of parasite transmission and sanitary education could be improved by using these points.
KEYWORDS:Public restroom contamination; Bus contamination; Intestinal parasites; Brazil.Enteroparasites are a serious public health problem in developing countries and they are directly related to precarious sanitation 14 . The transmissible stages (eggs, larvae, cysts and oocysts) can be found in the environment, either in soil, water or food, as a consequence of direct or indirect contamination with human or animal feces 2 . The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthes (A. lumbricoides, the hookworms Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, Trichuris trichiura and Strongyloides stercoralis), provides useful information about the extent of the public health problem, and are being used to guide the growing efforts to control disease. To reduce the prevalence of these parasites, it is necessary to improve social economic conditions and provide better basic sanitation. Sanitary education along with changes in cultural habits is also a relevant factor 12 . The contamination of bathroom installations can promote the dissemination of enteroparasites 1,5,9 . In this sense, public transport vehicles are also an important source of infection 7,10,11 .The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of intestinal parasites in public restrooms and buses in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, during the period from August to November, 2007.The research was conducted in the urban area of Uberlândia (18° 91' 86" S and 48° 27' 72" W), Minas Gerais, in the southeast region of Brazil. Uberlândia has a population of 608,369 4 , with 97.6% living in the urban area. The city offers 100% treated water and more than 90% sewage treatment.Thirty-two public restrooms were examined in thirteen locations: one bus station, five urban bus terminals, six public squares, and one public park. In each place, one female restroom and one male restroom were investigated, except for the public park, where four female restrooms and four male restrooms were evaluated. Inside the restrooms, a total of 192 samples were collected from door latches, toilet seats, which were divided into four quadrants (front, rear, right and left rim) and flush cords 1 .In Uberlândia, the public transport system is composed of 16 different bus lines that start from downtown and reach different regions of the city. One bus from each line was analyzed and the samples were collected from the turnstile, support bars (front and rear), seats (front and rear), and stop...