Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Akbar Noorbakhsh 1
- Iraj Mohammadpour 1
- Meisam Khazaei 1
- Gholamreza Ghazipour 2
- Ali Soleimani 3
- Mohammad Hossein Motazedian 2
1 Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz Iran
2 Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz Iran
Abstract
Background: Intestinal parasitic infections pose a significant public health challenge in developing countries, with children being particularly susceptible. The prevalence of these infections varies across communities. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among students in 12 primary schools on Kish Island, Iran, and to evaluate the infection status of family members of infected students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 443 students aged 7‒12 years in Kish Island, southern Iran, from May 2016 to 2017. Stool samples from 179 boys (40.4%) and 264 girls (40.4%) across 12 primary schools were examined for evidence of parasitic infections using direct wet mount, formalin ethyl acetate, and trichrome stain methods. Modified Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) staining was used to detect coccidian parasites. Conventional PCR was also employed to identify the genotype of Giardia lamblia. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19.
Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 5.2%. The highest incidence rate was found in Entamoeba coli (2.0%), followed by Giardia lamblia (1.6%). The prevalence rate of infection was significantly correlated with the type of drinking water (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections between males and females (P>0.05). In this study, the genotypes of Giardia lamblia were molecularly characterized by studying the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) gene. This study represents the first molecular characterization of G. lamblia in children on Kish Island, with sequence analysis revealing assemblage B (BIII 100.0%).
Conclusion: This study indicates a low prevalence of parasitic infections in a sensitive population (children) on Kish Island. The prevalence of Giardia lamblia, a more pathogenic parasite, was quite low in our study. This cross-sectional study was conducted on all island residents; no significant difference was observed among them.
Highlights
Mohammad Hossein Motazedian (Google Scholar)
Keywords
- Ahmad Kousha SH, Esmail Fallah , Iran Nokhahi , Sedigheh Sarafraz , Ahad Shahnami .Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites among Symptomless Primary School Children Attending Urban Health Centers, Tabriz Medical Journal of Tabriz University of Medical Science & Health Service. 2011(3): 58-62.
- Davami M, Roohi R, Sadeghi A. The Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among 7-15 year old children in Jahrom, Iran during 2006-7,journal of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences vol 6, No 6,spring and summur 2008. doi: 10.29252/jmj.6.1.2.49.
- Thompson R, Hopkins R, Homan W. Nomenclature and genetic groupings of Giardia infecting mammals. Parasitology today. 2000;16(5):210-3. PMID: 10782081. doi: 10.1016/s0169-4758(99)01624-5.
- Daryani A, Sharif M, Nasrolahei M, Khalilian A, Mohammadi A, Barzegar G. Epidemiological survey of the prevalence of intestinal parasites among schoolchildren in Sari, northern Iran. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2012;106(8):455-9. doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2012.05.010. PMID: 22703897.
- Taheri F, Namakin K, Zarban A, Sharifzadeh G. Intestinal parasitic infection among school children in South Khorasan Province, Iran. Journal of research in health sciences. 2011;11(1):45-50. PMID: 22911947.
- Abasian L, Talebi Fd, Bazyar A, Shirbazo S, Sayehmiri K, Ahmad N. Prevalence of Giardia lamblia in Iran: a systematic review and Meta analysis study. Research in Medicine. 2013;36(5):111-6.
- Lasek-Nesselquist E, Welch DM, Sogin ML. The identification of a new Giardia duodenalis assemblage in marine vertebrates and a preliminary analysis of G. duodenalis population biology in marine systems. International journal for parasitology. 2010;40(9):1063-74. PMID: 20361967. PMCID: PMC2900473. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2010.02.015.
- Monis PT, Andrews RH, Mayrhofer G, Ey PL. Genetic diversity within the morphological species Giardia intestinalis and its relationship to host origin. Infection, genetics and evolution. 2003;3(1):29-38. PMID: 12797970. doi: 10.1016/s1567-1348(02)00149-1.
- Sarkari B, Ashrafmansori A, Hatam GR, Motazedian MH, Asgari Q, Mohammadpour I..Genotyping of Giardia lamblia isolates from human in southern Iran. Trop Biomed.2012;29(3):366-71. PMID: 23018499.
- Read CM, Monis PT, Thompson RA. Discrimination of all genotypes of Giardia duodenalis at the glutamate dehydrogenase locus using PCR-RFLP. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 2004;4(2):125-30. PMID: 15157630. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2004.02.001.
- John DT, Petri WA, Markell EK, Voge M. Markell and Voge's medical parasitology: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2006. eBook ISBN: 9780323277648.
- Nematian J, Nematian E, Gholamrezanezhad A, Asgari AA. Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and their relation with socio-economic factors and hygienic habits in Tehran primary school students. Acta Tropica. 2004;92(3):179-86. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2004.06.010. PMID: 15533285.
- Jaiswal S, Pant DR, Tiwari BR, Sah JP, Bhandari R, Upadhyaya S. Prevalence of Intestinal Parasite among School Children of Bharatpokhari VDC, Kaski, Nepal. British Microbiology Research Journal. 2014;4(9):1007. doi: 10.9734/BMRJ/2014/8367.
- Al-Mohammed HI, Amin TT, Aboulmagd E, Hablus HR, Zaza BO. Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and its relationship with socio–demographics and hygienic habits among male primary schoolchildren in Al–Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine. 2010;3(11):906-12. doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(12)60250-0. PMCID: PMC3609239.
- Ngrenngarmlert W, Lamom C, Pasuralertsakul S, Yaicharoen R, Wongjindanon N, Sripochang S, et al. Intestinal parasitic infections among school children in Thailand. Trop Biomed. 2007;24:83-8. PMID: 18209713.
- Hein Sprong , Simone M. Cacciò, Joke W. B .Identification of Zoonotic Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis. plosnts. December 2009, Volume 3, Issue 12 e558. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000558.
- Cacciò SM, Ryan U. Molecular epidemiology of giardiasis. Molecular and biochemical parasitology. 2008;160(2):75-80.PMID: 18501440. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2008.04.006.
- Foronda P, Bargues M, Abreu-Acosta N, Periago M, Valero M, Valladares B, et al. Identification of genotypes of Giardia intestinalis of human isolates in Egypt. Parasitology research. 2008;103(5):1177-81.PMC75292. PMID: 33002078. doi: 10.1371.
- Geurden T, Levecke B, Caccio S, Visser A, De Groote G, Casaert S, et al. Multilocus genotyping of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in non-outbreak related cases of diarrhoea in human patients in Belgium. Parasitology.2009;136(10):1161-8. PMID:19631012. doi: 10.1017/S0031182009990436.
- Minvielle MC, Molina NB, Polverino D, Basualdo JA. First genotyping of Giardia lamblia from human and animal feces in Argentina, South America. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 2008;103(1):98-103. PMID: 18368240. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762008000100015.
- Nader Pestehchian, Hamidullah Rasekh, Zahra Babaei,1 Hosein Ali Yousefi, Abbas Ali Eskandarian, Mohammad Kazemi et al.Identification of genotypes of Giardia lamblia human isolates in Isfahan, Iran, using poly-merase chain reaction–Restriction Fragment Length polymorphism. Adv Biomed Res.2012;1:84 2014;21. doi: 4103/2277-9175.105166. PMID: 23946932. PMCID: PMC3724326.
- Roointan ES, Rafiei A, Samarbaf-Zadeh AR, Shayesteh AA, Shamsizadeh A, Borujeni MP. Genotype Analysis of Giardia lamblia Isolated From Children in Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran. Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology. 2013;6(3):279-83. doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/jjm.6443.
- ElBakri A, Samie A, Bessong P, Potgieter N. Detection and molecular characterisation of Giardia lamblia genotypes in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2014;108(8):466-73. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/tru083 PMID: 24906796.
- El Fatni C, Olmo F, El Fatni H, Romero D, Rosales MJ. First genotyping of Giardia duodenalis and prevalence of enteroparasites in children from Tetouan (Morocco). Parasite. 2014;21. doi:10.5812/JJM.6443.
- Tembo SJ, Mutengo MM, Sitali L, Changula K, Takada A, Mweene AS, et al. Prevalence and genotypic characterization of Giardia duodenalis isolates from asymptomatic school-going children in Lusaka, Zambia. Food and waterborne parasitology. 2020;19:e00072. PMID: 32258446. PMCID: PMC7125351. doi: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2020.e00072.
)