title: Prevalence of intestinal parasites among members of the public in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
abstract: A total of 246 stool samples were collected from the public who participated in a Medical Fair held at the University Malaya Medical Center. The stools were examined for intestinal parasites using the formalin-ether concentration technique. The overall infection rate was 6.9% (17 out of 246), with Trichuris trichiura being the most common parasite (4.5%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (0.8%), Clonorchis sinensis (0.8%), hookworm (0.4%), and Entamoeba histolytica (0.4%). None of these participants showed any clinical symptoms. The highest infection rate was among the Chinese 7.7% (13 out of 169), followed by the Malays 7.0% (3 out of 43) and Indians 3.3% (1 out of 30). The highest infection rate was in the age group 16-30 years, which was 9% (6 out of 67). The two cases of clonorchiasis were from two Chinese women aged 28 and 66 years. The 28-year-old Chinese woman was born in Malaysia and had never left the country, while the older woman was also born in Malaysia but had visited Hong Kong as a tourist on two occasions. Both enjoyed eating raw fresh water fish with porridge.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jamaiah
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rohela
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006277:Health Fairs; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence