title: Prevalence and symptoms of Enterobius vermicularis infections in a Peruvian shanty town.
abstract: The prevalence and symptoms of pinworm infection were determined in a shanty town in Lima, Peru. In 206 families, pinworm infection rates were highest in primary school age children (42%). Approximately one-fourth of pre-school children and secondary school-age children were infected with pinworms. Two examinations detected 74% of patients who were positive after 5 examinations. Symptoms often attributed to pinworm infection, such as perianal itching enuresis, and teeth grinding, occurred in a similar proportion of infected children (15%, 17%, 13%, respectively) and non-infected subjects (11%, 13%, 11%, respectively). Enuresis was more common in primary school-age children with high pinworm egg counts than in their non-infected contemporaries. 52% (28/54) of children under 5 years old became reinfected within 6 months of effective treatment. In a community where water is scarce and hand washing is infrequent, the high rate of perianal itching is probably an important source of faecal-oral contamination. The low morbidity and high reinfection rate make routine treatment of pinworm infection in third world countries a low priority, except when clinically indicated.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Marquis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miranda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D010123:Oxyuriasis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D015766:Albendazole