High Frequency of Enteroparasitoses in the Municipality of Oiapoque, Amapá State, Brazil, on the Border With French Guiana

Introduction Enteroparasites represent a considerable proportion of infectious parasitic diseases worldwide. This study evaluated the frequency of enteroparasites and the correlation of enteroparasites with hemoglobin levels. This study evaluated the frequency of enteroparasites and the correlation of themwith hemoglobin levels. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in the municipality of Oiapoque in the state of Amapá in northern Brazil, which is located at the western border of the Amazon region. Fecal samples collected over a one-year period (2014/2015) were analyzed using direct methods and spontaneous sedimentation. Results The study included 446 individuals ranging in age from 7 to 61 years. Among the investigated individuals, 58.6% (261/446) were infected with some type of enteroparasites. Of these infected individuals, 45.2% (118/261) were infected only by helminth, 40.9% (107/261) were infected with protozoa, and 13.8% (36/261) had combined infections. Ascaris lumbricoides (19.9%, 52/261) was the most commonly detected helminth, followed by Entamoeba coli and Endolimax nana that were the most frequent protozoan (17.2%, 45/261). The study showed an inversely proportional correlation between the hemoglobin level and the presence of detected parasites. Conclusions: In Oiapoque, enteroparasitosis diseases may be one of the causes of anemia in the population. The high frequency of enteroparasites is a clear reflection of the lack of sanitation in the studied region, indicating an epidemiological state of concern.


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Introduction 49 Intestinal parasites represent a considerable segment of infectious parasitic diseases 50 worldwide, although the prevalence may vary depending on the characteristics of each region [1]. 51 Most enteroparasitosis are transmitted by the oral route via the ingestion of water or food infected 52 with parasitic structures. A high number of these parasitosis is associated with places with poor 53 sanitary hygiene and a lack of treated water and sewage, which facilitate the dissemination of eggs, haematological parameters evaluated haemoglobin (Hb; males ≥ 13 g/dL, females ≥ 12 g/dLand 112 children ≥ 11 g/dL). Individuals were considered anaemic when their haemoglobin levels were ≤ 13 113 g/dL of blood for males and ≤ 12 g/dL of blood for femalesand children ≥ 11 g/dL.

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All individuals were asked to provide faecal samples in the morning, two plastic containers 115 were provided. One with a preservative solution (10% formaldehyde) and one without any  two slides were examined for detection of parasites by two investigators with identification 6 120 experience, using optical microscopy (Nikon, Japan) with magnifications of 100X and 400X. All 121 fecal analyzes were performed in a private laboratory in the municipality of Oiapoque/AP.

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The results were presented as descriptive and inferential statistics in tables to indicate the 123 respective frequencies corresponding to the detected enteroparasites. The contingency coefficient, 124 Chi-square (χ 2 ) tests and teste G were used to assess the combined proportions and to evaluate the 125 significance of the greatest contribution among age groups, genders and parasitic species to the 126 hemoglobin level. P-values equal to or lower than 5% (p < 0.05) were considered significant.

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A total of 446 subjects were included in the study, as summarized in Table 1 Chi-square test (χ 2 ) revealed a significant (p = 0.0082) association between gender and the presence 137 of intestinal parasites.  The hemoglobin level in the study population ranged from 7.7 to 18.2 g/dL (mean = 13.2 ± 165 1.5). Among the individuals positive for intestinal parasitoses, the hemoglobin level ranged from 166 7.7 to 18.2 g/dL (mean = 12.8 ± 1.5). Table 3 shows a significant correlation between hemoglobin Variations in the frequencies of diseases between men and women may result from 189 physiological, intrinsic or behavioral differences and distributions based on influences of the 190 population structure [15]. ≥ 26 year old age groups (meta-analysis: several combined proportions p = 0.0001) ( Table 1).

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Factors such as differences in hygiene habits and the resistance of individuals to seeking health 199 centers due to cultural and social issues may influence this process [16]. 200 In this study, a predominance of polyparasitized individuals was observed (54.4%, 142/261) 201 (Table 3). This finding may be associated with the high frequency with which the host comes into  The prevalence of enteroparasites was 58.6% (261/446) in the study population (Table 2). French Guiana, where the migratory flow related to illegal mining is intense, is also a factor that 217 may influence the results.

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Our study showed that Ascaris lumbricoides (19.9%, 52/261) was the most detected with fecal waste and therefore is at high risk of contamination by this pathogenic amoeba. 243 We must emphasize the importance of the diagnosis and description of these commensals  (Table 3).