A longitudinal study of enterobiasis in three day care centers of Havana City

Angel Núñez, Fidel; Hernández, Miriam; Finlay, Carlos M.

doi:10.1590/S0036-46651996000200007

Abstracts

Pinworm infection was prospectively studied during one year in 469 children attending three day care centers. Each child was examined at six months intervals using up to three perianal swabs with adhesive tape. Those found infected were treated with mebendazole. At the beginning of the study we found a prevalence of 28% that dropped to 13% and 12% in the following study periods. The reinfection rate was twice the incidence rate in both study periods. We also found a small percentage (10%) of the children reinfected in most or all study periods. There was a high correlation between reinfection and perianal itching. Our results add further knowledge to the epidemiology of intestinal parasites in day care centers.

Pinworm infection; Enterobius vermicularis; Day care centers; Longitudinal study; Predisposition

Infecção por oxiuros foi estudada prospectivamente durante um ano em 469 crianças de três creches. Cada criança foi examinada com intervalos de 6 meses usando até 3 esfregaços perianais com fita adesiva. As que estavam infectadas foram tratadas com mebendazole. No início do estudo foi encontrada prevalência de 28% que caiu para 13% e 12% nos períodos de estudo posteriores. A freqüência de reinfecção foi 2 vezes a incidência em ambos os períodos de estudo. Foi encontrada, também, pequena porcentagem (10%) de crianças reinfectadas na maioria ou em todos os períodos de estudo. Existiu elevada correlação entre reinfecção e coceira perianal. Nossos resultados adicionam outros conhecimentos à epidemiología dos parásitos intestinais em creches.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

A longitudinal study of enterobiasis in three day care centers of Havana City

Estudo longitudinal de enterobíase em três creches da cidade de Havana, Cuba

Fidel Angel Núñez; Miriam Hernández; Carlos M. Finlay

Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kouri". Ministerio de Salud Pública. P.O. Box 601, Ciudad Habana, Cuba

^{Correspondence to} Correspondence to: Dr. Fidel Angel Núñez Instituto "Pedro Kouri" P.O. Box 601 Fax: 53-7-215957 & 336051 C. Habana. Cuba

SUMMARY

Pinworm infection was prospectively studied during one year in 469 children attending three day care centers. Each child was examined at six months intervals using up to three perianal swabs with adhesive tape. Those found infected were treated with mebendazole. At the beginning of the study we found a prevalence of 28% that dropped to 13% and 12% in the following study periods. The reinfection rate was twice the incidence rate in both study periods. We also found a small percentage (10%) of the children reinfected in most or all study periods. There was a high correlation between reinfection and perianal itching. Our results add further knowledge to the epidemiology of intestinal parasites in day care centers.

Keywords: Pinworm infection; Enterobius vermicularis; Day care centers; Longitudinal study; Predisposition.

RESUMO

Infecção por oxiuros foi estudada prospectivamente durante um ano em 469 crianças de três creches. Cada criança foi examinada com intervalos de 6 meses usando até 3 esfregaços perianais com fita adesiva. As que estavam infectadas foram tratadas com mebendazole. No início do estudo foi encontrada prevalência de 28% que caiu para 13% e 12% nos períodos de estudo posteriores.

A freqüência de reinfecção foi 2 vezes a incidência em ambos os períodos de estudo. Foi encontrada, também, pequena porcentagem (10%) de crianças reinfectadas na maioria ou em todos os períodos de estudo.

Existiu elevada correlação entre reinfecção e coceira perianal. Nossos resultados adicionam outros conhecimentos à epidemiología dos parásitos intestinais em creches.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Dr. José R. Bravo for helping with the statistical analysis and CUSO from Canada for financial support.

Recebido para publicação em 05/09/1995

Aceito para publicação em 06/02/1996

1. AGUILAR, F.J. - Parasitologia médica. 2. ed. Guatemala, Litografia Delgado, 1987. p. 60-69.
2. ANDERSON, R.M. & MAY, R.M. - Population dynamics of human helminth infections: control by chemotherapy. Nature, 297: 557-563, 1982.
3. ANDERSON, R.M. - The population dynamics and epidemiology of intestinal nematodes infections. Trans, roy. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg., 80: 686-696, 1986.
4. BEAVER, P.C.; JUNG, R.C. & CUPP, E.W. - Clinical Parasitology. 9. ed. Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger, 1984. p. 302-334.
5. BUNDY, D.A.P.; COOPER, E.S.; THOMPSON, D.E. et al. - Predisposition to Trichuris trichiura infection in humans. Epidem. Infect., 98: 65-71, 1987.
6. CHO, S.Y. & KANG, S.Y. - Significance of scotch-tape anal swabs technique in diagnosis of Enterobius vermicularis infection. Korean J. Parasit., 13: 102-114, 1975.
7. CHO, S.Y.; HANG, S.Y; RYANG, Y.S. & SEO, B.S. - Relationships between the results of repeated anal swabs examinations and worm burden of Enterobius vermicularis. Korean J. Parasit., 14: 109-116, 1976.
8. GRAHAM, C.F. - A device for the diagnosis of Enterobius infection. Amer. J. trop. Med., 21: 159-161, 1941.
9. HASWELL-ELKINS, M.R.; ELKINS, D.B. & ANDERSON, R.M. - Evidence for predisposition in humans to infection with Ascaris, hookworm, Enterobius, and Trichuris in a South Indian fishing community. Parasitology, 95: 323-337, 1987.
10. HASWELL-ELKINS, M.R.; ELKINS, D.B., MANJULA, K.; MICHAEL, E. & ANDERSON, R.M. - The distribution and abundance of Enterobius vermicularis in a South Indian fishing community. Parasitology, 95: 339-354, 1987.
11. MARGOLIS, L.; ESCH, G.W.; HOLMES, J.C.; KURIS, A.M. & SCHAD, G.A. - The use of ecological terms in Parasitology. (Report of an ad hoc committee of the American Society of Parasitologists.) J. Parasit., 68: 131-133, 1982.
12. PAWLOWSKI, Z.S. - Enterobiasis. In: WARREN, K.S. & MAHMOUD, A.A.F., ed. Tropical and geographic medicine. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1984. p. 386-389.
13. QUINNELL, R.J.; SLATER, A.F.G.; TIGHE, P. et al. - Low rate of reinfection with Enterobius vermicularis in Papua New Guinea village (Short Report). Trans. roy. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg., 88: 44-45, 1994.
14. SADUN, E.H. & MELVIN, D.M. - The probability of detecting infections with Enterobius vermicularis by successive examinations. J. Pediat., 48: 438-441, 1956.
15. SANJURJO, E.; SANTANA, N.; NÚŃEZ, F.A. & FINLAY, C.M. - Enterobiasis en nińos asistentes a círculos infantiles del municipio Artemisa en 1988. Rev. cuba Med. gen. integr., 6: 168-174, 1990.
16. VAZQUEZ, O. & VELASCO, O. - Enterobiasis. Infectología (Méx.), 8: 199-202, 1988.

Correspondence to:

Dr. Fidel Angel Núñez

Instituto "Pedro Kouri"

P.O. Box 601

Fax: 53-7-215957 & 336051

C. Habana. Cuba

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
22 Sept 2006
Date of issue
Apr 1996

History

Received
05 Sept 1995
Accepted
06 Feb 1996

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] 1. AGUILAR, F.J. - Parasitologia médica. 2. ed. Guatemala, Litografia Delgado, 1987. p. 60-69.

[2] 2. ANDERSON, R.M. & MAY, R.M. - Population dynamics of human helminth infections: control by chemotherapy. Nature, 297: 557-563, 1982.

[3] 3. ANDERSON, R.M. - The population dynamics and epidemiology of intestinal nematodes infections. Trans, roy. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg., 80: 686-696, 1986.

[4] 4. BEAVER, P.C.; JUNG, R.C. & CUPP, E.W. - Clinical Parasitology. 9. ed. Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger, 1984. p. 302-334.

[5] 5. BUNDY, D.A.P.; COOPER, E.S.; THOMPSON, D.E. et al. - Predisposition to Trichuris trichiura infection in humans. Epidem. Infect., 98: 65-71, 1987.

[6] 6. CHO, S.Y. & KANG, S.Y. - Significance of scotch-tape anal swabs technique in diagnosis of Enterobius vermicularis infection. Korean J. Parasit., 13: 102-114, 1975.

[7] 7. CHO, S.Y.; HANG, S.Y; RYANG, Y.S. & SEO, B.S. - Relationships between the results of repeated anal swabs examinations and worm burden of Enterobius vermicularis. Korean J. Parasit., 14: 109-116, 1976.

[8] 8. GRAHAM, C.F. - A device for the diagnosis of Enterobius infection. Amer. J. trop. Med., 21: 159-161, 1941.

[9] 9. HASWELL-ELKINS, M.R.; ELKINS, D.B. & ANDERSON, R.M. - Evidence for predisposition in humans to infection with Ascaris, hookworm, Enterobius, and Trichuris in a South Indian fishing community. Parasitology, 95: 323-337, 1987.

[10] 10. HASWELL-ELKINS, M.R.; ELKINS, D.B., MANJULA, K.; MICHAEL, E. & ANDERSON, R.M. - The distribution and abundance of Enterobius vermicularis in a South Indian fishing community. Parasitology, 95: 339-354, 1987.

[11] 11. MARGOLIS, L.; ESCH, G.W.; HOLMES, J.C.; KURIS, A.M. & SCHAD, G.A. - The use of ecological terms in Parasitology. (Report of an ad hoc committee of the American Society of Parasitologists.) J. Parasit., 68: 131-133, 1982.

[12] 12. PAWLOWSKI, Z.S. - Enterobiasis. In: WARREN, K.S. & MAHMOUD, A.A.F., ed. Tropical and geographic medicine. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1984. p. 386-389.

[13] 13. QUINNELL, R.J.; SLATER, A.F.G.; TIGHE, P. et al. - Low rate of reinfection with Enterobius vermicularis in Papua New Guinea village (Short Report). Trans. roy. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg., 88: 44-45, 1994.

[14] 14. SADUN, E.H. & MELVIN, D.M. - The probability of detecting infections with Enterobius vermicularis by successive examinations. J. Pediat., 48: 438-441, 1956.

[15] 15. SANJURJO, E.; SANTANA, N.; NÚŃEZ, F.A. & FINLAY, C.M. - Enterobiasis en nińos asistentes a círculos infantiles del municipio Artemisa en 1988. Rev. cuba Med. gen. integr., 6: 168-174, 1990.

[16] 16. VAZQUEZ, O. & VELASCO, O. - Enterobiasis. Infectología (Méx.), 8: 199-202, 1988.

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