Coproparasitological survey of intestinal parasites in the city of Londrina, Parana, Brazil: a retrospective analysis

Intestinal parasites are a major public health problem. It is important to inform and educate the public about these infections, especially where such data are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites from the analysis of medical records of individuals of the city of Londrina. We analyzed 11,641 fecal reports from February 2009 to December 2012. Data were cataloged after the completion of parasitological testing of Hoffmann, Pons & Janer, Faust and Kato-Katz. From 11,641 reports, 19.1% were positive for intestinal parasites. Among those, 52.1% pertained to females and 47.9% to males, with predominance of positivity of 27.1% among children 0-10 years. For the regions studied, the northern region stood out with 35.4% of cases and prevalence of 6.8%. Among the pathogenic protozoa, reports of Giardia lamblia comprised 19.1% of positivity, while hookworms were the most frequent among helminths, comprising 7.8% of positive cases. It follows that poor conditions of basic sanitation contribute to the dissemination of these parasites. Early diagnosis is a determinant of successful treatment. Additionally, epidemiological data may be used to study the risk factors for transmission and may result in measures applicable to improving living conditions in the community

The effects of nitric oxide on the immune response during giardiasis

Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical synthesized from L-arginine by different isoforms NO-synthases. NO possesses multiple and complex biological functions. NO is an important mediator of homeostasis, and changes in its generation or actions can contribute or not to pathological states. The knowledge of effects of NO has been not only important to our understanding of immune response, but also to new tools for research and treatment of various diseases. Knowing the importance of NO as inflammatory mediator in diverse infectious diseases, we decided to develop a revision that shows the participation/effect of this mediator in immune response induced against Giardia spp. Several studies already demonstrated the participation of NO with microbicidal and microbiostatic activity in giardiasis. On the other hand, some works report that Giardia spp. inhibit NO production by consuming the intermediate metabolite arginine. In fact, studies in vitro showed that G. lamblia infection of human intestinal epithelial cells had reduced NO production. This occurs due to limited offer of the crucial substrate arginine (essential aminoacid for NO production), consequently reducing NO production. Therefore, the balance between giardial arginine consumption and epithelial NO production could contribute to the variability of the duration and severity of infections by this ubiquitous parasite.

Ocorrência de enteroparasitoses em escolares do município de Jataizinho, Estado do Paraná, Brasil / Occurrence of enteroparasitosis in schoolchildren of the municipal district of Jataizinho, State of Paraná, Brazil

As enteroparasitoses são responsáveis por altos índices de morbidade principalmente nos países em desenvolvimento, onde o crescimento populacional não é acompanhado de melhoria das condições de vida da população. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a ocorrência e os fatores associados às enteroparasitoses em escolares de Jataizinho, Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Foram avaliadas 264 amostras de fezes pelos métodos de sedimentação espontânea, método direto e Kato-Katz. A prevalência geral de enteroparasitoses foi de 68,2% (180/264). Os protozoários de maior prevalência foram a Endolimax nana (47,5%) e a Entamoeba coli (23,5%). Já entre os helmintos foram o Ascaris lumbricoides (10,2%) e o Trichuris trichiura (6,1%). Houve predominância de casos de poliparasitismo (50,5%) em relação aos de monoparasitismo (49,5%). Ovos de Schistosoma mansoni foram encontrados em quatro (1,5%) amostras analisadas. O principal fator associado às parasitoses intestinais foi o hábito de freqüentar rio, riacho ou lagoa (OR = 2,78; IC 95%; 1,32 ? 5,92). De acordo com os resultados encontrados, medidas de educação sanitária devem ser implantadas com urgência, enfatizando o risco de freqüentar rios ou lagos, melhores hábitos de higiene pessoal e higienização dos alimentos

The enteroparasitoses are responsible for high death rates, mainly in developing countries where population growth is not followed by improvement in the population?s standard of living. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of and the factors associated with enteroparasitosis in schoolchildren from Jataizinho, State of Paraná, Brazil. 264 fecal samples were analyzed by sedimentation in water, direct technique and Kato-Katz methods. The general prevalence of enteroparasitosis was of 68.2% (180/264). The most frequent protozoans were Endolimax nana (47.5%) and Entamoeba coli (23.1%). Already among the helminthes were Ascaris lumbricoides (10.2%) and Trichuris trichiura (6.1%). There was a predominance of poliparasitism cases (50.5%) in relation to the monoparasitism (49.5%). Schistosoma mansoni eggs were found in four (1.5%) of the analyzed samples. The main factor associated with intestinal parasitosis was related to the habit of bathing in rivers, streams or lakes (OR = 2.78; IC 95%; 1.32 ? 5.92). According to the results obtained, sanitary education measures should be urgently implemented, emphasizing the risk of the habit of bathing in rivers and lakes, better personal hygiene habits and hygiene procedures for food