Low socioeconomic level and enterobius vermicularis: A interventional study to children and their mothers in home.

To determine the effects of care and monitoring provided at home to children in whom Enterobius vermicularis is detected and their mothers on the presence of observing the parasite and the knowledge and practices of the children and their mothers on the issue. This study used a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design. In the study, 20 students and their mothers were determined as the experimental group, while 18 students and their mothers were determined as the control group. Home visits were made to the families of the children in the experimental group for 6 months. At these home visits, health education on the parasite was provided to the mothers and the children. There were highly significant differences between the experiment and control groups in terms of E. vermicularis presence, knowledge and hygiene practice scores (p < .001).

Cluster of Parasite Infections by the Spatial Scan Analysis in Korea.

This study was performed to find out the clusters with high parasite infection risk to discuss the geographical pattern. Clusters were detected using SatScan software, which is a statistical spatial scan program using Kulldorff's scan statistic. Information on the parasitic infection cases in Korea 2011-2019 were collected from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clusters of Ascaris lumbricoides infection were detected in Jeollabuk-do, and T. trichiura in Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. C. sinensis clusters were detected in Ulsan, Daegu, Busan, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do. Clusters of intestinal trematodes were detected in Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. P. westermani cluster was found in Jeollabuk-do. E. vermicularis clusters were distributed in Gangwon-do, Jeju-do, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. This clustering information can be referred for surveillance and control on the parasitic infection outbreak in the infection-prone areas.

[Investigation of Enterobius vermicularis infection in children in Jiangxi Province in 2014].

OBJECTIVE: To know the status of Enterobius vermicularis infection in children in Jiangxi Province in 2014, so as to provide the evidence for the formulation of prevention and control measures. METHODS: A survey was performed according to the scheme of the 3rd Principal Human Parasites of Jiangxi Province in 2014. Based on the ecological regions, a stratified cluster sampling method was applied by the economic and geographic situation. There were 84 survey sites from 28 counties, and the basic data were also collected in the different investigation sites, and the round-end tube adhesive cellophane anal swab was used to examine E. vermicularis eggs for the children aged 3-6 years. RESULTS: A total of 1 486 children aged 3-6 years were detected, the E. vermicularis infection rate was 13.73% (204/1 486), and the infection rates were 13.89% (114/821) and 13.53% (90/665) in the male and female, respectively. The infection rate in the different age groups showed a gradual rise then fall trend, the lowest infection rate was 10.05% (38/378) in the 3-year age group, and the highest infection rate was 18.24% (81/444) in the 5-year age group. The infection rates in the high, medium and low-income survey sites were 13.79% (87/631), 17.23% (51/296), and 11.81% (66/559), respectively. The E. vermicularis infection rates in the 4 ecological regions were from 12.34% to 17.74%, but there was no significant difference among the different ecological regions (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The status of E. vermicularis infection in children in Jiangxi Province is relatively serious, and therefore, the parasitic disease control sectors should continue to strengthen the monitoring and control work of E. vermicularis infection in children.

Regular Deworming: A Missed Opportunity to Prevent Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Infections in Children.

Chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a common dialysis treatment modality used to treat children with end-stage renal disease. Dialysis-related infections are the leading cause of technique failure. Enterobius vermicularis infestation indirectly increases the infection rate by causing pruritus around the anus, especially at night. We observed a significant decrease in the total infection rate (2.3 vs 5.4 per patient-year) following regular deworming over a 1-year study period. Regular deworming may be considered to prevent secondary bacterial infections in children on chronic PD.

[Effect of control program of human intestinal parasitic diseases in Nanping City].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemic status of human intestinal parasitic diseases and evaluate the effect of the control program in Nanping City, so as to provide an evidence for improving the disease control. METHODS: The villages were selected by the stratified cluster sampling method and the residents in these villages were surveyed for human intestinal parasitic diseases, and kindergartens were also selected and the children in these kindergartens were surveyed for Enterobius vermicularis infection. RESULTS: In 2007, before the control program, 9 851 residents of Nanping City were surveyed, with the parasitic infection rate of 9.10% (896 infection cases), and the infection rate of E. vermicularis of children was 18.56% (328/1 767). From 2011 to 2014, when the control program was performed, 4 679 residents were surveyed, with the infection rate of 4.06% (190 infection cases), and the infection rate of E. vermicularis of children was 3.87% (33/853). After the control program was launched, the infection rates of human intestinal parasites were decreased. The overall parasitic infection rate and hookworm infection rate showed increasing trends by age (χ2 = 49.03 and 53.58 respectively, both P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The infection situation of human intestinal parasites is decreased after the implementation of the control program but the infection rate is still at a high level, and the control work should be strengthened.

Worm Infections in Children.

• On the basis of research evidence, worm infections are important global child health conditions causing chronic disability that lasts from childhood into adulthood (Table 1). (2)(3) Evidence Quality: B • On the basis of research evidence, the major worm infections found in developing countries include ascariasis, trichuriasis, hookworm infection, and schistosomiasis; toxocariasis, enterobiasis, and cysticercosis are also found in poor regions of North America and Europe. (4)(9)(13) Evidence Quality: B • On the basis of expert consensus, children and adolescents are often vulnerable to acquiring large numbers of worms, ie, high-intensity infections (Fig 1)(21)(22)(23) Evidence Quality: D • On the basis of expert consensus and research evidence, moderate and heavy worm burdens cause increased morbidity because of growth and intellectual stunting in children and adolescents. Many of these effects may result from helminth-induced malnutrition. (21)(22)(23) Evidence Quality: C • On the basis of expert consensus and research evidence, worm infections are also commonly associated with eosinophilia. (48) (49) Evidence Quality: B • On the basis of research evidence as well as consensus, helminthes can cause inflammation in the lung (asthma), gastrointestinal tract (enteritis and colitis), liver (hepatitis and fibrosis), and urogenital tract. (7)(21)(22)(23)(27)(28)(40)(41)(43) Evidence Quality: B • On the basis of research evidence, microscopy techniques for diagnosis of worm infections in children often exhibit suboptimal sensitivities and specificities, necessitating new or improved diagnostic modalities such as polymerase chain reaction. (54)(55) Evidence Quality: A • On the basis of research evidence and expert consensus, mass drug administration ("preventive chemotherapy") has becomea standard practice for ministries of health in low- and middle-income countries to control intestinal helminth infections and schistosomiasis. (67)(68) Evidence Quality: B.

[Investigation of Intestinal Parasites and Level of Hygiene Knowledge of School Students]. / Ögrencilerde Bagirsak Parazitlerinin ve Hijyen Bilgi Düzeylerinin Arastirilmasi.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the prevalence of intestinal parasites and its relationship with some hygiene habits and socio-demographic characteristics of students in Yigilca were investigated. METHODS: This study was conducted in three parts. Firstly, the prevalence of parasitic diseases was measured, and questionnaires about the level of knowledge of hygiene were administered. Secondly, control and intervention groups were determined. Lastly, some education and training courses were organized and provided to the intervention group, including parents and children, about the prevention of parasitic diseases and habits of cleaning. RESULTS: In this study, 540 cellophane tapes and 523 stool samples were studied. Among the samples analyzed, 87 (16.1%) with Enterobius vermicularis, 79 (15.1%) with Giardia intestinalis, 73 (13.9%) with various non-pathogenic parasites, 1 (0.19%) with Ascaris lumbricoides, and 1 (0.19%) with Hymenolepis nana were found. G. intestinalis was highly positive among the children who do not wash their hands after defecation. Also, some intestinal parasites were found to be related to the socio-demographic characteristics of families; parental education, family income, and father's profession were found to be associated with the presence of intestinal parasites. After training, the intervention group showed a significant decrease in the number of giardiasis and enterobiasis cases. CONCLUSION: Education on hygiene will prevent parasitic diseases from an early age.

[Survey of intestinal parasitic infections and related knowledge and behavior of residents in Jiaodong area of Shandong Province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the status of intestinal parasitic infections and the related knowledge and behavior in residents of Jiaodong area of Shandong Province, so as to provide the evidence for making an appropriate preventive and control strategy. METHODS: A total of 18 villages from 6 counties in Jiaodong area were selected as investigation sites according to the stratified sampling method. The feces samples of the permanent residents aged above 3 years were collected and examined by Kato-Katz technique to find the intestinal parasite eggs, and the children under 12 years old were examined by the method of cellophane anal swab to detect the Enterobius vennrmicularis eggs. In addition, 50 households in each survey sites were randomly selected to investigate the basic family situation and the condition of awareness on prevention knowledge and formation of correct behavior of residents by using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Totally 6 163 residents involved in the feces examinations, and the total infection rate of intestinal parasites was 6.91%. The infection rates of Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm were 6.56%, 0.62% and 0.21%, respectively. The infection rate of E. vermicularis in children under 12 years old was 0.51%. The eggs of Clonorchis sinensis and Taenia solium were not found in this survey. The awareness rate of knowledge about preventing parasitic diseases was 49.54%. The formation rates of washing hands before eating, washing hands after using the toilet, never eating raw fruit and vegetable without washing clean, never working in the field with bare feet, and never drinking unboiled water were 97.78%, 91.95%, 88.81%, 92.42% and 86.48% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The infection rate of intestinal parasites is low in Jiaodong area, but there is a significant difference among different counties. The awareness rate of knowledge about preventing parasitic diseases is low, but the formation rate of healthy behavior is high. In the future, the health education and the strategy of taking medicine among the key population should be enhanced, and the project of reconstructing safe water supply and lavatory should be advanced.

Effect of a one-off educational session about enterobiasis on knowledge, preventative practices, and infection rates among schoolchildren in South Korea.

Although health education has proven to be cost-effective in slowing the spread of enterobiasis, assessments of the effectiveness of health education to reduce infectious diseases specifically in children are rare. To evaluate the effect of health education on knowledge, preventative practices, and the prevalence of enterobiasis, 319 children from 16 classes were divided into experimental and control groups. Data were collected from May 2012 to March 2013. A 40-minute in-class talk was given once in the experimental group. There were significant differences over the time in the mean scores for children's knowledge of Enterobius vermicularis infection in the intervention group compared to the control group (p<0.001). After the educational session, the score for knowledge about E. vermicularis infection increased from 60.2 ± 2.32 to 92.7 ± 1.19 in the experimental group; this gain was partially lost 3 months later, decreasing to 83.6 ± 1.77 (p<0.001). Children's enterobiasis infection prevention practice scores also increased, from 3.23 ± 0.27 to 3.73 ± 0.25, 1 week after the educational session, a gain that was partially lost at 3 months, decreasing to 3.46 ± 0.36 (p<0.001). The overall E. vermicularis egg detection rate was 4.4%; the rates for each school ranged from 0% to 12.9% at screening. The infection rate at 3 months after the treatment sharply decreased from 12.3% to 0.8% in the experimental group, compared to a decrease from 8.5% to 3.7% in the control group during the same period. We recommend that health education on enterobiasis be provided to children to increase their knowledge about enterobiasis and improve prevention practices.

Prevalence of enterobiasis among primary school children in Ragama, Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of enterobiasis among school children in Ragama Medical Officer of Health (MOH) region and the association between clinical features, potential risk factors and infection status. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. SETTING: School based. Participants 260 school children aged 5-7 years, attending five state schools in the Ragama MOH region. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection as diagnosed using adhesive cellophane tapes on the perianal skin on 2 consecutive days. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of enterobiasis was 38%. The risk factors significant on a univariate analysis were male gender, maternal under-education, non-permanency of paternal employment, more household members, more siblings in a family, more persons sleeping with an index child and lack of recent deworming. On a multivariate model more household members, more children in a household, more persons sleeping with the index child, non-permanency of paternal employment and lack of recent deworming were significantly associated with infection. None of the clinical manifestations evaluated (peri-anal itching, insomnia, abdominal pain, and enuresis) showed a significant association with enterobiasis. CONCLUSIONS: Enterobiasis is highly prevalent among primary school children in Ragama.

Effect of fenbendazole on an autoimmune mouse model.

Fenbendazole is an anthelmintic drug widely used to treat and prevent pinworm infection in laboratory rodents. Data regarding possible side effects of fenbendazole on the immune system are conflicting, potentially due to the design of treatment protocols. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of 2 fenbendazole therapeutic regimens (continuous for 5 wk and alternating weeks [that is, 1 wk on, 1 wk off] for 9 wk) on the development of autoimmune disease in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. No significant differences in survival curves or weight were observed between the treatment groups and cohort mice receiving nonmedicated feed. At the termination of the experiment, there were no differences in tissue pathology. Hematocrit decreased and BUN increased over time in all groups, but no significant differences were present between groups. After the cessation of treatment, mice fed the medicated diet continuously for 5 wk showed an increase in antiDNA antibody. Although this difference was significant, it did not affect survival curves or disease-related tissue or blood changes. These data indicate that common protocols of fenbendazole treatment do not alter the progression of autoimmune disease in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice.

Detection of pinworm eggs in the dust of laboratory animals breeding facility, in the cages and on the hands of the technicians.

Pinworms (Nematoda: Oxyurida) are common contaminants in most laboratory rodent colonies. The aim of the study was to monitor the transmission of Syphacia muris eggs in laboratory rat breeding facilities. Dust in a breeding room was investigated using special grids (free fallout, or through the help suction chamber). Furthermore, the ventilation system, breeding cages and the hands of the laboratory technical staff were examined. In the case of free fallout, the percentage of positive grids increased slightly over time: from 5.5% (after 24 h) to 8.2% (72 h). Similar values were also found when using the suction chamber (7.6%). Many more pinworm eggs were found in samples collected every second month from suction holes of the ventilation system (28.7%). One-half of the samples taken from the breeding cages (before washing) exhibited pinworm eggs (50.8%). Examination of the hands of technical staff showed positive detection in 37.9% of cases. In this study, certain transmission factors (dust, unclean cages and technicians) were proved to be significant in the distribution of pinworm infection in laboratory rodent facilities.

Impact of health education on the prevalence of enterobiasis in Korean preschool students.

Health education has been shown to be effective in slowing the spread of the disease, infectious disease in particular. To evaluate the impact of health education on the prevalence and pattern of new infection of enterobiasis, children from 6 kindergartens in Ulsan city, South Korea, were recruited after undergoing a screening for enterobiasis, and then divided into three groups, including group medication (GM), education (Edu), and control group. All children in GM group received medical treatment with 500 mg albendazole twice, with 15 days interval. In the Edu group, only children diagnosed positive for Enterobius vermicularis eggs received medical treatment with 500 mg albendazole twice, with 15 days interval and all parents in the group received brochures providing information about enterobiasis. In the control group, only children diagnosed positive for E. vermicularis eggs received medical treatment with 500 mg albendazole twice, with 15 days interval, and no information about enterobiasis was provided to parents. Two post-treatment examinations were performed at three and six months after treatment. The infection rate in the GM group was dramatically decreased at 3 months, and this rate was almost the same as at 6 months after treatment. Infection rate of children in the Edu group was shown to drop from 9.9% to 3.0% at 3 months, and to 2.7% at 6 months after treatment; however, the infection rate in the control group continued to be higher than in the other two groups at both 3 and 6 months, with smaller change at 3 months compared to the other two groups. In addition, both new infection and re-infection cases in the Edu group were fewer, compared to those in the control group. In conclusion, although GM is the best method for eradication of enterobiasis, providing health information about enterobiasis to parents could reduce the prevalence, as well as the rate of new infection or re-infection with E. vermicularis in their children.

[Advances in research on harm and control of Enterobius vermicularis infection in children].

In China, the infection rate of Enterobius vermicularis in children is still relatively high. Because the development and spread of worm eggs is fast, it is easy to treat but difficult to control the disease, and the control effect is also difficult to be consolidated. The long-term repeated Enterobius vermicularis infection may cause the damage on children's body and mind in different degrees. This paper offers an overview on the current status, harm and prevention and control of Enterobius vermicularis infection.

Parents' knowledge about enterobiasis might be one of the most important risk factors for enterobiasis in children.

To know the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection and what are the most important risk factors, we evaluated the incidence and risk factors of enterobiasis among children attended in kindergartens in Busan metropolitan city, Republic of Korea. A total of 1,674 children from 21 kindergartens in 11 of 16 autonomous districts of Busan were evaluated for E. vermicularis infection by the cellotape anal swab technique. The overall egg-positive rate for E. vermicularis was 10.7% (179/1,674), and the prevalence of enterobiasis in each kindergarten ranged between 0% and 32.4%. There was an increasing tendency of the egg positive rate according to the population density; the higher the population density communities had, the higher egg-positive rate for E. vermicularis was detected (P = 0.001). Among personal hygiene factors involving children, thumb-sucking (P = 0.036) and fingernail-trimming (P = 0.024) were highly associated with enterobiasis. In addition, taking anthelmintic medications against E. vermicularis infection was strongly associated with enterobiasis (P = 0.014). Moreover, parents' knowledge of enterobiasis was correlated significantly with the incidence of enterobiasis of their children (P = 0.006). In conclusion, we need to consider not only personal hygiene but also parents' knowledge about enterobiasis as a factor in order to develop new strategies for elimination or to complete reduction of enterobiasis in Korea.

[The frequency of the presence of intestinal parasites in students of Arslanbey Primary School]. / Arslanbey Ilkögretim Okulu Ogrencilerinde Bagirsak Parazitlerinin Görülme Sikligi.

We investigated the frequency of the presence of intestinal parasites and the factors affecting this frequency in an elementary school. We tried to discover whether there was a relationship between the presence of intestinal parasites and sanitary habits such as hand washing, toilet flushing, and use of human manure, cleanness of drinking water and also the educational level of the parents. A total of 114 students participated in this study. Samples were collected using cellophane tape preparations. All fecal samples were examined using native-Lugol and the trichrome staining. Fecal samples taken from 111 students were examined, 37 (33.3%) of them contained one or more parasites. The parasites encountered most often were E. vermicularis 16 (14.4%), G. intestinalis 10 (9.0%), and E. coli 4 (3.6%). In addition children carrying intestinal parasites complained about abdominal pain (22 students), itchy nose and the accumulation of saliva around their mouths (9 students). Although no meaningful relationship was found between the use of human manure/toilet flushing with the presence of parasites, the educational level of the parents, cleanness of the drinking water and hand washing habits seem to be related to the presence of parasites. Our findings indicate that elementary students should be educated in the prevention of parasitic infections.

Enterobíase / Enterobiasis

Os autores fazem uma revisão da enterobíase com uma visão clínica, com maior ênfase no diagnóstico e apresentação de novas opções terapêuticas desta parasitose intestinal