title: The epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis and other intestinal parasitoses in children in southern Guinea-Bissau.
abstract: In order to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and other intestinal parasites, a household sample survey of children under 5 years old was carried out during the late dry season in 8 rural villages in southern Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in 10 of 270 stool samples (3.7%), using a safranin-methylene blue staining method. Of these 10 children (age range 5-16 months), all non-Muslims, 6 had diarrhoea, giving a prevalence of 12.5% in 48 children with diarrhoea, compared with 1.8% in children without diarrhoea (P less than 0.001). The ethnic group with the highest prevalence (9.2%) also kept most domestic animals, and was the only group to keep cattle. Giardia lamblia was found in 16 children, and the overall prevalences of other enteric parasites were: hookworm, 21.7%; Strongyloides stercoralis, 7.4%; Ascaris lumbricoides, 6.9%; Trichuris trichiura, 4.4%; Entamoeba histolytica, 1.5%; and Taenia sp., 0.5%. The prevalence of cryptosporidiosis was highest in the age group 7-12 months, while for the other parasites it was highest in the oldest children. The prevalence of hookworm was highest (c. 50%) in the southernmost villages. No significant relationship was found between hookworm infection and anaemia.
authors.affiliation: International Medical Cooperation Committee, Panum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carstensen
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Kristiansen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomme
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006169:Guinea-Bissau; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male