The importance of soil analysis in epidemiologic studies on intestinal parasitosis. (Portuguese)

This paper discusses the importance of the environment in the epidemiological dynamics of the main intestinal parasitic diseases in Brazil, and emphasizes the importance of a complementary diagnosis of the environment in epidemiological surveys. The objective of this study was to assess the situation of residents of areas lacking basic sanitation about the prevalence of intestinal helminths. For this study, stool tests were performed on 33 residents of the Igrejinha district of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gérais State (Brazil), and soil samples from their homes (n = 11) were analyzed as a complementary diagnosis. For analysis of fecal material, the technique of centrifugal-sedimentation followed by centrifugal-flotation was used. For soil analysis, centrifugal-flotation was used. The stool tests showed negative results in all samples. The soil analysis , however, diagnosed contamination by eggs of specimens of the genus Ascaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (96%), Trichuris (Roederer, 1761) (3%), and a nematode egg of the order Strongylida. The negative stool test, in contrast to positive soil analysis, showed that while the hosts may be momentarily free of parasites, or with a low average infection intensity, the environment remains a source of contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Atencao Primaria a Saude is the property of Revista de Atencao Primaria a Saude and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)