title: Human infection by Trichostrongylus spp. in residents of urban areas of Salvador city, Bahia, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nematodes of Trichostrongylus genus are mainly parasites of herbivores, although sporadic human infections have been reported in many countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the frequency and seasonality of Trichostrongylus spp. infection in individuals attended at a public clinical laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fecal samples of 9,283 individuals were evaluated by spontaneous sedimentation (Lutz) in the Parasitology Laboratory of the Pharmacy College, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, from January of 2006 to May of 2008. The positive samples for either Trichostrongylus spp. or hookworms were further examined to evaluate the morphometry of nematode eggs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-hundred and ten patients (1.2%) were confirmed to be infected by Trichostrongylus spp. The positive cases were significantly more frequent in females (1.6%; p <0.05), with higher distribution in the age group between 11-20 years (1.9%), compared to those aged 51-60 (0.8%) and older than 60 years (0.9%)( p <0.05), independent of gender. Trichostrongylus spp. infections were more common from March to May (40 cases) and showed a homogeneous distribution over the other periods of the year (21-25 cases). The hematological analyses of 60 Trichostrongylus -infected patients showed normal levels of eosinophils in most of the positive cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data reveal that the occurrence of infection by Trichostrongylus spp. in residents of Salvador is more frequent than those reported in other urban regions and that it is essential to distinguish the parasite from other nematodes in routine parasitological examination.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
authors.forename: Robson Paixão
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
authors.forename: Joelma Nascimento
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
authors.forename: Joelma Figueiredo
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
authors.forename: Leda Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Alcântara
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
authors.forename: Neci Matos
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia.
authors.forename: Márcia Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Aquino Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D014253:Trichostrongylosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult