title: Parasitic infections on the shore of Lake Victoria (East Africa) detected by Mini-FLOTAC and standard techniques.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helminths and protozoa infections pose a great burden especially in developing countries, due to morbidity caused by both acute and chronic infection. The aim of our survey was to analyze the intestinal parasitic burden in communities from Mwanza region, Tanzania.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects (n=251) from four villages on the South of Lake Victoria have been analyzed for intestinal parasites with direct smear (DS), formol-ether concentration method (FECM) and the newly developed Mini-FLOTAC technique; urinary schistosomiasis was also assessed in a subsample (n=151); symptoms were registered and correlation between clinic and infections was calculated by chi-squared test and logistical regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the subjects screened for intestinal and for urinary parasites, 87% (218/251) were found positive for any infection, 69% (174/251) carried a helminthic and 67% (167/251) a protozoan infection, almost half of them had a double or triple infection. The most common helminths were hookworms, followed by Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium. Among protozoa, the most common was Entamoeba coli followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Giardia intestinalis. Mini-FLOTAC detected a number of helminth infections (61.7%) higher than FECM (38.6%) and DS (17.9%). Some positive associations with abdominal symptoms were found and previous treatment was negatively correlated with infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the limited size of the examined population the current study indicates a high prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection in Bukumbi area, Tanzania, and Mini-FLOTAC showed to be a promising diagnostic tool for helminth infections. This high parasitic burden calls for starting a regular deworming programme and other preventive interventions in schools and in the community.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: beatrice.barda@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barda
authors.affiliation: Section of Veterinary Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ianniello
authors.affiliation: Bukumbi Hospital, Mwanza, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zepheryne
authors.affiliation: Section of Veterinary Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Section of Veterinary Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cringoli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burioni
authors.affiliation: Ivo de Carneri Foundation, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albonico
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000351:Africa, Eastern; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D060106:Lakes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010274:Parasitology / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Helminths; Intestinal parasitic infections; Protozoa; Tanzania