Prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminth infections among school-age children in the Cagayan Valley, the Philippines

Objective:To identify the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis(STH)among school-age children in the Cagayan Valley,the Philippines,assess their level of awareness on the disease,and determine predisposing factors of the disease.Methods:A total of 478 GradesⅢ-Ⅴschool-age children in Pamplona and Sanchez-Mira School Districts in the Cagayan Valley answered the questionnaire assessing their knowledge,attitude,and practices on STH,subjected to anthropometric measurements,and provided faecal samples for parasitologic assessment(direct smear,Kato-Katz,and formol-ether concentration techniques).Results:The participants of the study,with 55.86%females,were 8 to 14 years old.Their nutritional status was assessed‘normal’(84.31%),‘severely wasted’(6.49%),‘wasted’(5.23%),‘overweight’(2.72%),and‘obese’(1.26%).The prevalence of infection with at least 1 STH species was 25.99%in Pamplona and 19.40%in SanchezMira.Overall,the prevalence of heavy intensity was 7.11%for Ascaris lumbricoides and 1.67%for Trichuris trichiura.All hookworm infections had light intensities.The majority of the school-age children had a low score in the KAP test.In knowledge of STH,‘stunted growth as a symptom of infection’was associated with a lower risk of Ascaris lumbricoides infection(OR 0.448;95%CI 0.212,0.945;P=0.035)while‘playing with soil as a mode of transmission’was associated with an increased risk of Ascaris lumbricoides infection(OR 2.067;95%CI 1.014,4.212;P=0.046).In attitude towards STH,‘I think I have intestinal worm now’was associated with a higher risk of Ascaris lumbricoides infection(OR 1.681;95%CI 1.061,2.662;P=0.027).Conclusions:The prevalence rate of Ascaris lumbricoides among the school-age children in the Cagayan Valley shows the need to further intensify intervention in the area to meet the threshold set by the World Health Organization.The identified predictors of infection,which concerns the school-age children’s knowledge and attitude toward STH,can be used in augmenting intervention programs in the future.

Presence of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia in water samples from Southeast Asia: towards an integrated water detection system

Background:Access to clean and safe drinking water that is free from pathogenic protozoan parasites,especially Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia that cause gastrointestinal illness in humans,is still an issue in Southeast Asia(SEA).This study is the first attempt to detect the aforementioned protozoan parasites in water samples from countries in SEA,using real-time polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)assays.Methods:A total of 221 water samples of 10 l each were collected between April and October 2013 from Malaysia(53),Thailand(120),the Philippines(33),and Vietnam(15).A physicochemical analysis was conducted.The water samples were processed in accordance with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s methods 1622/1623.1,microscopically observed and subsequently screened using qPCR assays.Results:Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in treated water samples from the Philippines(1/10),with a concentration of 0.06±0.19 oocyst/L,and untreated water samples from Thailand(25/93),Malaysia(17/44),and the Philippines(11/23),with concentrations ranging from 0.13±0.18 to 0.57±1.41 oocyst/L.Giardia cysts were found in treated water samples from the Philippines(1/10),with a concentration of 0.02±0.06 cyst/L,and in untreated water samples from Thailand(20/93),Vietnam(5/10),Malaysia(22/44),and the Philippines(16/23),with concentrations ranging from 0.12±0.3 to 8.90±19.65 cyst/L.The pathogens C.parvum and G.lamblia were detected using using qPCR assays by targeting the 138-bp fragment and the small subunit gene,respectively.C.parvum was detected in untreated water samples from the Philippines(1/23)and Malaysia(2/44),whilst,G.lamblia detected was detected in treated water samples from the Philippines(1/10)and in untreated water samples from Thailand(21/93),Malaysia(12/44),and the Philippines(17/23).Nitrate concentration was found to have a high positive correlation with(oo)cyst(0.993).Conclusion:The presence of(oo)cysts in the water samples means that there is potential risk for zoonotic disease transmission in the studied countries.Detection using qPCR is feasible for quantifying both pathogenic C.parvum and G.lamblia in large water samples.