Parasitosis among apparently healthy immigrant workers at Dammam, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

A cross sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 161 apparently healthy immigrant workers in Dammam City, with ages ranged between 21 to years. A required data were taken via a designed questionnaire and stool samples were collected and examined microscopically by direct wet mount [saline and iodine stained smears] and by formalin ether concentration sedimentation technique. The results showed 99/161 [55.3%] suffered parasitosis. These are in a descending order they were E. histolytica [50.5%], Giardia lamblia [38.8%], Enterobius. vermicularis [12.1%], Entamaeba coli [12.1%], Trichuris trichiura [11.1%], Hymenolepis. nana [11.1%], Schisto-soma haematobiumn [10.1%], A. scaris lumbricoides [9.09%], S. mansosoni [7.07%], Dicrocelium dendriticum [5.05%], and Fasciola species [3.03%]. On the other hand, 72 [44.7%] of the immigrant workers were Toxoplasma gondii ELISA-IgG positive. The intervention programs including health education, strict supervision of health authorities on immigrant workers as well as environmental sanitation are required