Epidemiologic profile and intestinal parasitism in three communities served by non-governmental organization, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Abstract

Background: Alternativas y Oportunidades (AyO), a 32-year-old non-governmental organization (NGO) has provided health and education services in markets and poor communities in Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. Objectives: Document epidemiologic characteristics and determine intestinal parasite frequency in three sites benefiting from AyO services. Participants and Methods: Descriptive transversal study from May to October 2019. Prior informed consent/assent, sociodemographic data obtained by a questionnaire in voluntiers aged 0-49 years from three sites, who provided a fresh stool sample. Laboratory methods for stool examination included direct fresh preparation, thick Kato Katz smear, Baermann method, thin carbol fuchsine acid stain smear and immunoantigenic test ELISA. Results: A total of 147 participants were poor, had informal work poorly remunerated, all houses made of wood, brick or adobe; 92.5% (136) possessed toilet or laetrine, 97.2% (142) burned or truck-disposed garbage, 72.6% (106) bought trucked water. The frequency of intestinal parasites was 3.4% (5) helminth infection, 62.5% (92) commensal protozoan infections and two pathogenic species: Giardia duodenalis 15.0% (22) and Cyclospora cayetanensis 2.0% (3). Blastocystis spp. 52.3% (77) and commensal protozoa Endolimax nana 36.7% (54), Entamoeba coli 32.6% (48) and Entamoeba hartmanni 23.2% (34), were the most frequent; 6.1% (9), had Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar cysts. The immunoenzymatic ELISA test disclosed 16.1% (19/118), Giardia and no Cryptosporidium infections. Discussion: WASH promotion and use of water filters should be made accesible by AyO as important health information to benefit communities.