Resumen

MORA, Leonor; GARCIA, Ana  y  DE DONATO, Marcos. Prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar in patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Diarrhea and who Come from Cumaná, Sucre State. Kasmera [online]. 2005, vol.33, n.1, pp.36-45. ISSN 0075-5222.

Entamoeba histolytica is considered a public health problem due to its high prevalence and its consequences for the affected individuals, and especially in children where it can cause death. Few studies of the prevalence of this parasite have been carried out in northeastern Venezuela, and for this reason feces samples from 400 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea, of all ages and both sexes were studied, in order to determine the prevalence of complex Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar and its association with other parasites. Samples were analyzed copro-parasitologically using 0.85% saline physiological and lugol solution, trichromic staining, hidden blood tests and concentration tests elaborated by Ritchie. An interview was made with each participant in order to register epidemiological and clinical data. A prevalence of 16.0% (n=64) for complex Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar was found. Other frequently observed parasites were Blastocystis hominis 19.3% (n=77), Entamoeba coli 9.3% (n=37), Endolimax nana 8.0% (n=32), Giardia lamblia 5.8% (n=23), Trichuris trichiura 4.0% (n=16), Ascaris lumbricoides 3.8% (n=15). About 15.5% of the patients showed multiparasitic infections and 37% presented only one parasite. Blastocystis hominis was the species most frequently associated with complex Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar 10.9% (n=7). Symptoms were variable, including vomiting (26.6%), nausea (39.1%), abdominal pain (68.8%), fever (28.1%) and flatulence (65.6%). The presence of amoebas was not statistically associated with sex (χ²=0.46, p>0.05), but it was related to age (χ²=16.63, p<0.05), and the age group from 10-19 years old was the most affected. The prevalence of intestinal parasites, especially for complex Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar, indicated that this is an important problem which needs to be addressed by sanitation authorities.

Palabras clave : Amibiasis; gastrointestinal parasitosis; gastrointestinal symptoms; complex Entamoeba histolytica; Entamoeba dispar complex; diarrhea.