Intestinal parasitism among two indigenous tribes in Palawan, Republic of the Philippines

ABSTRACT

Stool samples from a total of 162 individuals were examined. The subjects were residents of sitio Gungnan and Kambing of barrio Panitian, municipality of Quezon and also from sitio Pananbuan of barrio Cabuyugan, Puerto Princesa. Those from Gungnan and Kambing are called "Palawanos" while those from Pananauan are called "Batacs". The overall picture for the three common intestinal helminths is quite different from people coming from other parts of the Philippines. This observation is also true with regards to the findings on protozoa. There were marked differences in prevalence between the two tribes with respect to ascariasis, trichuris and hookworm infection. The same observation is true also for the protozoan parasites. As far as we know, this is the first intestinal parasitic survey done among indigenous tribes in Palawan.(Summary)