Abstract

CERDAS, Carlos; ARAYA, Edna  and  COTO, Susana. Parásitos intestinales en la escuela 15 de agosto, Tirrases de Curridabat, Costa Rica. Mayo-Junio de 2002. Rev. costarric. cienc. méd [online]. 2003, vol.24, n.3-4, pp.127-133. ISSN 0253-2948.

The problem of children's parasitism continues in communities such as the one under study, despite protection factors to fight such disease have been improved in the last years. Such factors include the use of shoes, drinking water supply, and use of latrines.In the present survey, three hundred and twenty samples of feces of school age children were analyzed. A direct test with saline solution and lugol as well as the Kato's technique was used in order to determine the degree of intestinal parasitism prevalent in the school age population of Tirrases. There were 45% of positive samples, 28,1% are true pathogens and the remaining 16,9% are commensal organisms. The most frequent helminth was Trichuris trichiura, (12,2%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (6,9%). The most frequent pathogen protozoan was Giardia duodenalis, with 7,8% prevalence. Children who had intestinal pathogens of any kind were referred to the local clinic, to be prescribed with the appropriate antiparasitic drugs.Even though, at a nationallevel, it has repeatedly been stressed the necessity of washing hands, vegetables, and fruit to prevent transmission of pathogen agents, the problem of intestinal parasitism still exists.

Keywords : Parasitosis; intestinal parasites; children's parasitosis; school age children.