Urban helminthiasis in two socioeconomically distinct Costa Rican communities.
A survey on the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Hymenolepis nana was conducted in two adjacent, but socioeconomically distinct, urban Costa Rican communities: a squatter settlement and a community with access to modern sewage facilities. The prevalence of these infections was significantly higher in the former. Although squatter children (1-14 years old) were more heavily infected with A. lumbricoides and H. nana than squatter adults, the same pattern was not observed for T. trichiura. The results suggest that local community-based helminthic parasite surveys may more accurately portray the actual health status of socioeconomically diverse urban populations.
Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Ohio 44074, USA.
P
P
Kosoff
F
F
Hernández
V
V
Pardo
M
M
Visconti
M
M
Zimmerman
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D006925:Hymenolepiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006926:Hymenolepis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007223:Infant; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014257:Trichuriasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D014258:Trichuris / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*