Intestinal parasite infections in immigrant children in the city of Rome, related risk factors and possible impact on nutritional status

BACKGROUND: Parasitic diseases can represent a social and economic problem among disadvantaged people - even in developed countries. Due to the limited data available concerning Europe, the aims of the present study were to evaluate the presence of parasites in immigrant children and the risk factor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Parasites & vectors Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 265
Main Authors:	Manganelli, Laura, Berrilli, Federica, Di Cave, David, Ercoli, Lucia, Capelli, Gioia, Otranto, Domenico, Giangaspero, Annunziata
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Springer-Verlag 20-11-2012 BioMed Central Ltd BioMed Central BMC
Subjects:	Adolescent Age Animals Ascaris Ascaris lumbricoides Blastocystis hominis Child Child Nutrition Disorders - epidemiology Child Nutrition Disorders - etiology Child, Preschool Children Children & youth Colorectal diseases Developed countries Developed country Developing countries Economic conditions Emigrants and Immigrants Entamoeba Entamoeba coli Enterobius vermicularis Families & family life Family medical history Female Gastrointestinal diseases Gender Giardia duodenalis Giardia lamblia Health aspects Housing Humans Immigrant children Immigrants Infant Infection Infections Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - complications Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - epidemiology Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - parasitology Intestinal parasites LDCs Male Medical research Medicine, Experimental Noncitizens Nutrition Nutritional aspects Nutritional status Parasites Parasites - classification Parasites - isolation & purification Parasitic diseases parasitism parasitoses people Prevalence questionnaires Risk Factors Rome - epidemiology Short Report Socioeconomics statistical analysis Strongyloides stercoralis Studies Surveys and Questionnaires Values Europe Rome Italy
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Summary:	BACKGROUND: Parasitic diseases can represent a social and economic problem among disadvantaged people - even in developed countries. Due to the limited data available concerning Europe, the aims of the present study were to evaluate the presence of parasites in immigrant children and the risk factors favouring the spread of parasites. Subsequently, the possible correlation between nutritional status and parasitic infections was also investigated. FINDINGS: A convenience sample of two hundred and forty seven immigrant children (aged 0–15) attending the Poliambulatorio della Medicina Solidale in Rome was examined. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, and parasitological and anthropometric tests were applied. Chi-squared test and binary logistic multiple-regression models were used for statistical analysis. Thirty-seven children (15%) tested positive to parasites of the following species: Blastocystis hominis, Entamoeba coli, Giardia duodenalis, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides and Strongyloides stercoralis. A monospecific infection was detected in 30 (81%) out of 37 parasitized children, while the others (19%) presented a polyparasitism. The major risk factors were housing, i.e. living in shacks, and cohabitation with other families (p<0.01). Children classified in the lower height Z-scores had a significantly greater prevalence of parasites (30.9%) than the others (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that parasite infection in children is still quite common, even in a developed country and that children’s growth and parasitism may be related. Extensive improvements in the living, social and economic conditions of immigrants are urgently needed in order to overcome these problems.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-5-265 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	1756-3305 1756-3305
DOI:	10.1186/1756-3305-5-265