Prevalencia Y Factores De Riesgo Asociados Con Parasitos Intestinales En Una Comunidad Ruraldel Centro De Mexico

Journal of Parasitology and Vector Biology Vol. 1 (2) pp. 009-012, August, 2009
Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/jpvb
Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Prevalence and risk factors associated with intestinal
parasites in a rural community of central Mexico
Diego Emiliano Jimenez-Gonzalez1, Karina Marquez-Rodriguez1, Jose Maria Rodriguez2,
Xavier Gonzales3,Joe Oxford3, Roland Sanchez3, Simon Kawa-Karasik1, Ana Flisser4 and
Pablo Maravilla1*
1

Department of Molecular Epidemiology, General Hospital “Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez”, Mexico 14080 DF, Mexico.
2
State Ministry of Health, Morelos Mexico.
3
International Program, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX.
4
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, NationalAutonomous University of Mexico (UNAM),
Mexico 04510 DF, Mexico.
Accepted 27 August, 2009

Inhabitants of a rural community in Mexico were analyzed for intestinal parasites, 34% of the 115 people
studied were positive by Faust’s technique; stream water was also analyzed for parasites, 4/7 sites were
positive and these were located near the natural source of drinking water. A questionnairewith social,
health and demographic variables was applied to heads of households in search of associations with
intestinal parasites. Statistical significant data were having had parasites in the past, being less than 13
years of age and eating unwashed food. A dendogram of Euclidian distances showed two clades; one
associated to protection and the other one to risk. Unfortunately, the prevalenceof protozoa found in
the present study has not changed from previous reports obtained in other rural communities of central
Mexico. Our results suggest that health authorities should incorporate health education, anti-protozoa
drugs and clean natural water sources as part of the control programs.
Key words: Community study, intestinal parasites, rural Mexico.
INTRODUCTION
Intestinalparasitic diseases remain a serious public
health problem in many developing countries especially
due to fecal contamination of water and food (Engels and
Savioli, 2006; Quihui-Cota et al., 2004). More than 72
species of protozoa and helminth parasites can lodge in
humans; most are considered food and water-borne
zoonoses. In spite of this, water transmission has been
documented only forCryptosporidium sp, Enterocytozoon
bieneusi, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, Giardia lamblia,
Toxoplasma gondii and Blastocystis sp. (Slifko et al.,
2000; Pozio, 2003; Leelayoova et al., 2004). Multiple
socio-geographic and environmental factors determine
the prevalence and intensity of a parasitic infection such
as weather, that affects the time and intensity of outbreaks

*Corresponding author. E-mail: maravillap@yahoo.com.

(Doligalska and Donskow, 2003; Si ski, 2003).
The present study was performed in 2005 in a community of 246 inhabitants located at the South-eastern
border of the state of Morelos, Mexico, 18°
34´54´´N,
98°
56´48´´W with a temperature ranging between 28 32° during the spring and summer and 20 - 26° during
C
C
autumn and winter; the rainy season begins in lateMay
and ends in late September. The aim was determining
the frequency of intestinal parasites in a sample of 47%
of inhabitants and in seven samples of water taken during
the rainy and the dry seasons from the natural water
spring that is enclosed within a cement construction
connected to a local water system and from the stream
that crosses the whole community, where kids usually
play.The spring is the source of drinking water. The
purpose of this study was to determine the variables that
support the occurrence of parasites in the population and
in the natural water source. For this a dendogram of Eucli-

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J. Parasitol. Vector Biol.

Table 1. Prevalence (%) of intestinal parasites in fecal
samples obtained in 3 nearby rural communities.

Species
Helminths...