Intestinal parasitic infections in hill-tribe schoolchildren in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand

• Main Authors: Piangjai S., Sukontason K., Sukontason KL.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3502482; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/3264
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

We surveyed intestinal parasitic infections in hill-tribe schoolchildren residing permanently in Chiang Mai Province. The positive rate, of 403 stool specimens examined using the formalin-ether sedimentation technique, was 48.9%. No significant difference between male (50.8%) and female (47.1%) students was found for the infection. The most common protozoa was Entamoeba coli (40.9%), followed by Giardia lamblia (14.9%). The most common helminth was hookworm (13.4%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (8.0%), and Trichuris trichiura (6.9%). Opisthorchis viverrini, the most important liver fluke infection in northern Thailand, was found in only 1.5%. Children harbored 1-5 species of parasites, with the most being single infections (67.5%), followed by double infections (26.9%). This finding promoted an urgent need for the treatment of infected schoolchildren, and the prevention of re-infection must be underlined.