Resumen

ACOSTA, María; CAZORLA, Dalmiro  y  GARVETT, María. Enterobiasis en escolares de una población rural del Estado Falcón, Venezuela y su relación con el nivel socio-económico. Invest. clín [online]. 2002, vol.43, n.3, pp.173-182. ISSN 0535-5133.

Between may and july 2001, a survey was conducted in order to investigate the prevalence and symptoms of Enterobius vermicularis infection and its relationship with the socio-economic status and household crowding of 154 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years from a rural village in Falcon State, Venezuela. The Graham technique (perianal swabs with an adhesive cellulose tape) was used to perform the parasitological diagnosis. The overall prevalence was high (57,79%). There was no difference in the prevalence between sexes (X²=0,005; d.f.= 1)or ages (X²= 3,63; d.f.= 6)(p>0,05), suggesting similar risk conditions for all individuals. Anal pruritus was the most common clinical finding (53,9%). Other less frequent manifestations were the following: perianal lesions (34,8%) and vulvovaginitis (32,6%). Graffar analysis revealed that the majority of schoolchildren belong to the poorer socioeconomic strata: IV (55,9%) and V (29,87%), with overcrowded living conditions. The correlation between E. vermicularis infection and crowding rates was found to be statistically significant (r= 0,98; p < 0,001). In the light on these results, it can be concluded that poverty, overcrowding, anal pruritus, scarcity of water, inadequate personal and community hygiene play a relevant role on the transmission dynamics and endemic maintenance of enterobiasis among schoolchildren from Sabaneta.

Palabras clave : Enterobius vermicularis; schoolchildren; intestinal helminthiasis; overcrowding; poverty; poor sanitation; prevalence.