title: The prevalence of intestinal parasites in the province of Izmir, Turkey.
abstract: Stool samples of a total of 2,047 people in Izmir province were examined by wet mount, formalin ethyl acetate concentration, and trichrome staining methods with an aim to reveal the prevalence of intestinal parasites in Izmir together with related personal and environmental risk factors. Geographical mapping showing the density and variation of the species of intestinal parasites in Izmir was done after all maps were scaled, and the coordinates were determined with GeoMedia5.0. The prevalence of the intestinal parasites was found to be 25.6% in Izmir, with a variation between the districts. Blastocystis hominis was the leading parasite, and the prevalence of parasites was higher in children compared to adults; however, the difference was statistically insignificant. There was also no significant difference between the parasite prevalence and sex, marital status, education, income, frequent eating outside, and habitual raw meat eating. Significant differences were found between the parasite prevalence and crowded families, early immigrants, individuals with no social security, and people living in close contact with their livestock. The parasites were found to be less common among individuals who had been drinking bottled water and living in a house with a sewage system. The results demonstrated a correlation between the intestinal parasites and environmental conditions in our study group. We further plan to expand the study group to cover all regions of Turkey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey. hande.dagci@ege.edu.tr
authors.forename: Hande
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dagci
authors.forename: Ozgür
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Mete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demirel
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ostan
authors.forename: Naser Reza
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.forename: Aliye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mandiracioglu
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yurdagül
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanyüksel
authors.forename: Ece
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eroglu
authors.forename: Mucide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology