ABSTRACT
Objective To study the prevalence of common infections with soil-borne intestinal nematodes amongst kindergarten children aged 3 to 6 years in Hangzhou,Zhejiang Province to provide evidence for determination of the priority of disease prevention and control.Methods Totally,1667 preschool children were selected from 14 kindergartens of Classes A,B and C in east,middle and west Hangzhou.Perianal skin Scotch Tape(a short strip of sealing cellophane pressure-sensitive tape)specimens were collected for detection of eggs of Enterobius vermicularis,and stool specimens for eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides,Ancylostoma duodenale and Trichuris trichiura by Kato-Katz method and saturated brine floatation,as well as questionnaire interview,for all the children.Results Two hundred and sixteen of 1667 children examined were found infected with common soil-borne intestinal nematodes,with an overall prevalence of 12.96%,4.44% for Enterobius vermicularis,8.28% for Ascaris lumbricoides,0.54% for Trichuris trichiura and 0.24% for Ancylostoma duodenale.Prevalence of infection of common intestinal nematodes was 7.31% in children of the Class A kindergartens,12.60% of Class B,and 21.47% of Class C,with statistically significant difference(?~2 = 49.95,P