Parasitosis among apparently healthy immigrant workers at Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
A cross sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 161 apparently healthy immigrant workers in Dammam City, with ages ranged between 21 to 40 years. A required data were taken via a designed questionnaire and stool samples were collected and examined microscopically by direct wet mount (saline and iodine stained smears) and by formalin ether concentration sedimentation technique. The results showed 99/161 (55.3%) suffered parasitosis. These were in a descending order they were E. histolytica (50.5%), Giardia lamblia (38.8%), Enterobius. vermicularis (12.1%), Entamaeba coli (12.1%), Trichuris trichiura (11.1%), Hymenolepis. nana (11.1%), Schisto-soma haematobiumn (10.1%), A.scaris lumbricoides (9.09%), S. mansosoni (7.07%), Dicrocelium dendriticum (5.05%), and Fasciola species (3.03%). On the other hand, 72 (44.7%) of the immigrant workers were Toxoplasma gondii ELISA-IgG positive. The intervention programs including health education, strict supervision of health authorities on immigrant workers as well as environmental sanitation are required.
Department of Family & Community Medicine, College Of Medicine, Dammam University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Suhair Mohammad
SM
Makki
Wafaa A S
WA
Arafa
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000652:urine; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult