Modified Harada-Mori and simple wet mount to determine hookworm infections in Yo Island urban area, Songkhla, Southern Thailand

Abstract

Background Hookworm was a previously dominant parasitic infection in Southern Thailand. The changing population to an aging society in Yo Island has never been investigated for intestinal parasites. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hookworm and intestinal parasitic infections on Yo Island, a small island in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among volunteers aged 15 and above to give one stool sample that was screened by wet mount for intestinal parasites and the modified Harada-Mori culture (mHMFPC) which is adapted from HMFPC, using local plastic bag containers instead of test tubes for hookworm detection. Results Two hundred forty-seven volunteers (females = 160) gave one stool. The highest participation was in age group higher than 60 years. Most were Buddhism (89.1%), agriculturist (71.4%), non-education (87.9%), and income lower than 9000 baht (50.2%). The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 13/247 (5.3%) of which 6/247 (2.4%) were positive for hookworm species Necator americanus. One volunteer was coinfected with hookworm and Strongyloides stercoralis and another with Endolimax nana and Blastocystis hominis . The mHMFPC detected more positive stool samples than wet mount and wet mount: 5 vs. 2. Conclusions Parasite prevalence was low in this urban community of mostly low-income village dwellers. The mHMFPC appeared better at detecting hookworm but numbers were small. Combined techniques are suitable for field use.

Prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections and associated risk factors among elderly individuals living in rural areas of southern Thailand

“…The prevalence in this study was lower than those reported in other studies conducted in different regions of Thailand, including Chanthaburi Province (29.6%) and Surin Province (16.2%) [ 16 ]. In contrast, the overall prevalence in this study was higher than those in previous studies in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province (9.3%) and Songkhla Province (5.3%) [ 10 , 17 ]. The observed discrepancy might be due to differences in the climate, geographic location, age of the study population, sampling techniques, sociodemographic features and culture.…”

“…Hookworms were the most predominant STH parasites, consistent with a previous study from China demonstrating that hookworms were the most prevalent in the elderly population [ 22 ]. In addition, the observed hookworm infection prevalence of 10.9% was higher than those in rural communities of Chachoengsao Province [ 15 ], Khon Kaen Province [ 23 ], Surin Province [ 16 ] and Songkhla Province [ 17 ]. In our study, the prevalence of hookworm infection in elderly individuals aged more than 80 years (19%) was higher than those in individuals aged 60–69 years (9.1%) and 70–79 years (11.3.4%).…”

“…In contrast, A. lumbricoides was commonly detected in studies conducted in northern Thailand and northeastern Thailand [ 8 , 25 – 27 ]. Differences in the prevalence may be due to several factors, including variations in examination techniques, geographical areas, age groups, levels of education, occupations, food consumption habits, and personal hygiene behaviors [ 8 , 16 , 17 , 28 ].…”

“…Previous studies indicated that elderly individuals were infected with intestinal parasites at rates of 16.2 and 17.7% in Surin Province, northeastern Thailand and Chachoengsao Province, central Thailand, respectively [ 15 , 16 ]. Furthermore, the rate of hookworm infections was 5.7% in Songkhla Province, southern Thailand [ 17 ]. Currently, Nakhon Si Thammarat, a province in southern Thailand, has an aging society.…”

Hookworm infection still prevalent in the less developed urban area in jakarta, Indonesia

“…The specimen was kept for 10 days. 14 Afterwards, two parasitologists examined the plastic using microscope with 4 × magnification. Filariform larva was then identified morphologically by first putting the plastic on hot water to kill the larvae.…”