WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Paulo Roberto Blanco Moreira Norberg, Maria Laura Meister Villalba, Larissa Duarte Ortellado, Marcelo Coronel, Paulo César Ribeiro, Marli Amaro da Silva, Guilherme Geaquinto and Antonio Neres Norberg*

ABSTRACT

Background: Enteroparasitoses are caused by species of helminths and protozoa which affect the gastrointestinal tract causing infections that, depending on the severity of pathogenicity, can be fatal to the infected host. This research has the objective of investigate the identity and prevalence of enteroparasites among children of the Toba Qom ethnic people established at the San Francisco de Asis Community, city of Benjamín Aceval, Paraguay. Methods: Ninety faeces aliquots from children were stored in 10% formaldehyde solution and the laboratory tests were performed by the techniques of Hoffman, Pons and Janer, Willis and Kinyoun at the Laboratory of Research on Parasitic Diseases of the UNIABEU University Center, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Results: Among the 90 examined samples, 58 were positive (64.44%), and 32 (35.56%) were negative. The following parasitic species were found: nematode helminths of the species Ascaris lumbricoides (1.11%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (4.44%); cestodes of the species Hymenolepis nana (11.11%) and Taenia spp. (1,1%); Protozoa of the species Endolimax nana (8.89%), Iodamoeba butschlii (6,67%), Giardia lamblia (7,78%) and Entamoeba coli (25,55%), Entamoeba histolytica/díspar (10%) and the Chromista Blastocystis spp (7.78%). Conclusions: The parasitological profile of the Toba Qom population of the San Francisco de Asis community presents quite different characteristics when compared to the other indigenous groups reported in the scientific literature. This fact suggests that socio-cultural characteristics, environmental aspects, health and hygiene habits peculiar to each population group influence in a determinant way the prevalence and variety of parasitic species that affect the diverse population groups. The results of this research were the basis for the treatment of parasitoses and the plan of preventive actions regarding the transmission of these diseases.