title: [Intestinal parasitosis in the asymptomatic Subsaharian immigrant population. Gran Canaria 2000].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A prospective study has been conducted in order to known the prevalence and the type of intestinal parasitoses in a cohort of healthy Subsaharian immigrants that reached Gran Canaria along the year 2000.
  
  
  METHODS
  348 fecal samples of 121 immigrants have been studied. In each patient a minimum of two samples and a maximum of three samples was studied. Each sample was evaluated through two techniques: visualization of a direct preparation dyed with Lugol and through the technique of concentration of Kato.
  
  
  RESULTS
  23.1% of the patients presented pathogenic parasites in feces, being observed 2 parasites in 5 of the patients (17.8%). The geohelminths (Ancylostoma duodenale/Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Strongyloides stercolaris) were the parasites more frequently found (87.9%). Specifically, the parasitosis found in the greatest number of participants was hookworm disease (44.8%). In this study the effectiveness of the evaluation of three feces samples is demonstrated in order to increase the percentage of diagnosed intestinal parasitoses. The visualization of a direct preparation dyed with Lugol permitted the diagnosis of 63.6% of the parasitoses, while the technique of Kato detected 56.6% of the helminth infections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of geohelminths in the asymptomatic Subsaharian immigrant population is elevated. The complementary use of the microscopic study of a direct preparation dyed with Lugol and the technique of Kato increase the diagnostic performance.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. mmartin@cicei.ulpgc.es
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Martín Sánchez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández García
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González Fernández
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Afonso Rodríguez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernández Cabrera
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pérez Arellano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000208:ethnology; D000818:Animals; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D010271:Parasites / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology