title: Prevalence and associated risk factors for Giardia lamblia infection among children hospitalized for diarrhea in Goiânia, Goiás State, Brazil.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and to identify risk factors associated with Giardia lamblia infection in diarrheic children hospitalized for diarrhea in Goiânia, State of Goiás, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted and a comprehensive questionnaire was administered to the child's primary custodian. Fixed effects logistic regression was used to determine the association between infection status for G. lamblia and host, sociodemographic, environmental and zoonotic risk factors. A total of 445 fecal samples were collected and processed by the DFA methodology, and G. lamblia cysts were present in the feces of 44 diarrheic children (9.9%). A variety of factors were found to be associated with giardiasis in these population: age of children (OR, 1.18; 90% CI, 1.0 - 1.36; p = 0.052), number of children in the household (OR 1.45; 90% CI, 1.13 - 1.86; p = 0.015), number of cats in the household (OR, 1.26; 90% CI, 1.03 -1.53; p = 0.059), food hygiene (OR, 2.9; 90% CI, 1.34 - 6.43; p = 0.024), day-care centers attendance (OR, 2.3; 90% CI, 1.20 - 4.36; p = 0.034), living on a rural farm within the past six months prior hospitalization (OR, 5.4; CI 90%, 1.5 - 20.1; p = 0.03) and the number of household adults (OR, 0.59; 90% CI, 0.42 - 0.83; p = 0.012). Such factors appropriately managed may help to reduce the annual incidence of this protozoal infection in the studied population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine Extension, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. mpereira@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Maria das Graças Cabral
authors.initials: Md
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Edward Robert
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Atwill
authors.forename: Alverne Passos
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Barbosa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan