title: Enteric parasites and enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in children from Cañazas County, Veraguas Province, Panama.
abstract: This study was designed to examine the height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), and the prevalence of intestinal inflammation, gastrointestinal infections with parasites, and enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) in rural Panamanian children. Stool microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for EAEC detected Giardia lamblia (32%, 32 of 100) and EAEC (13%, 11 of 87) in the study participants, respectively. Anthropometric analyses showed that those children who were > 12 months of age had lower HAZ scores (mean of -1.449) than the reference population. As a group, the children in the study 1 to 5 years of age did not show recovery from the previously mentioned decline in terms of their HAZ. The HAZ means of the children infected with G. lamblia, EAEC, and Ascaris lumbricoides were -1.49, -1.67, and -2.11, respectively. Furthermore, the study participants with A. lumbricoides and EAEC infections in the presence of lactoferrin showed another decrease of 0.19 and 0.13, respectively, in their HAZ means.
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama.
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Jiménez Gutiérrez
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama.
authors: Vanessa
authors: V
authors: Pineda
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama.
authors: Jose E
authors: JE
authors: Calzada
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama.
authors: Richard L
authors: RL
authors: Guerrant
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama.
authors: Jones B
authors: JB
authors: Lima Neto
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama.
authors: Relana C
authors: RC
authors: Pinkerton
authors: Center for Global Health University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Panama asaldana@gorgas.gob.pa.
authors: Azael
authors: A
authors: Saldaña
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D010176:Panama / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population