Prevalencia de infección por protozoos y helmintos intestinales en escolares de un sector costero de la provincia de Valdivia, Chile / Prevalence of intestinal protozooa and helminths infection in scholchildren from a coast locality in Valdivia province, Chile

ABSTRACT

During july-august 1989, 219 coprological samples from primary school children from Niebla and Los Molinos, localities (39º52'S, 73º26'W) in the coast of province of Valdivia, Chile, were analysed. Prevalence percent (in parentheses) of infection by intestinal protozoa and helminths were the followings Entamoeba histolytica (18.0), Entamoeba coli (34.0), Endolimax nana (34.4), Iodamoeba buetschlii (7.4), Blastocystis hominis (64.3), Giardia intestinalis (27.9), Chilomastix mesnii (0.8), Ascaris lumbricoides (12.7), Trichuris trichiura (32.0), Trichostrongylidea gen. sp. (0.8), Enterobius vermicularis (1.6), Hymenolepis nana (0.4), Diphyllobothrium sp. (1.4). No sanitary conditions, water, faeces and garbage disposal were detected in the 55.5 percent, 86.4 percent and 52.7 percent of 110 houses from the sector, respectively. The high prevalence of protozoa and helminths intestinal infections in the sector are related to no sanitary conditions of houses and fecal contamination of the estuary of the Valdivia river