To determine the indices of prevalence of intestinal parasites and commensals in the residents of ecotourism region of Paraná State, a retrospective study was conducte, from January/2003 to December/2004 on 3,764 fecal parasitological examinations performed by a private laboratory of Ubiratã using the Baermann-Moraes, water-sedimentation and Willis methods. Among the individuals aged eight months to 89 years, 522 (13.9%) cases were positive. Giardia lamblia (175/522; 24.2%) was the most prevalent parasite (p<0.000). Entamoeba coli was the most common commensal, with 238/552 (32.9%) cases (p<0.000), being frequently associated with other species, either parasitic or commensal. The children of preschool age (2-6 years old) and school age (7-14 years) were mainly parasitized (66.0% of positivity; p<0.0000). More individuals harbored a single species of parasite (233; 44.6%) than had multiple species (169; 32.4%). These results indicated a significant degree of the environmental contamination in the cities of Paraná, mainly the medium-and small-sized ones, which was a cause for concern in view of the increase in ecotourism in the region.
Intestinal Parasites; Ecotourism; Travelers Parasitology; Paraná
