title: Coinfection with malaria and intestinal parasites, and its association with anaemia in children in Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of coinfection with malaria and intestinal parasites, as well as to determine its association with anaemia in children aged 10 years and below in Muyuka, Cameroon.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study. Participants were febrile children who were admitted to the Muyuka district hospital between April and October 2012. Blood and stool samples were collected from those participants who gave consent to take part in the study. Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and complete blood count (CBC) were performed using an automated haematology analyser (Mindray®, BC-2800). Giemsa-stained blood film was examined to detect malaria parasites, while the formol-ether concentration technique was used to detect intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs). The Pearson's chi-square, Student's T-test and correlation analysis were all performed as part of the statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred and eleven (411) children successfully took part in this study. The prevalence of malaria, IPIs, malaria and IPI coinfection, and anaemia observed were 98.5 %, 11.9 %, 11.9 % and 44.8 %, respectively. Anaemia and IPIs were significantly associated with age; anaemia was more prevalent in children under five years of age (p = 0.000), whereas IPIs were more prevalent in children aged between five and 10 years (p = 0.006). The parasite species isolated included Ascaris lumbricoides (36 [73.5 %]), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (9 [18.4 %]) and hookworm (4 [8.2 %]). The mean Hb observed was 10.64 g/dl (±1.82). A significant negative correlation was observed between malaria parasite density and Hb. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of anaemia among children infected with malaria, IPIs, or malaria and IPI coinfection, or among non-infected children. Similarly, the mean Hb did not differ among infected and non-infected children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that malaria and IPIs still constitute a major public health problem in the study area despite a lack of any significant association between these infections and anaemia. The findings suggest that there is a need for the implementation of control measures to curb the rate of malaria and IPIs in the study area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. ann_njunda@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Anna Longdoh
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Njunda
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. emmakwen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shuri Ghasarah
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Fon
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. juleclement@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Jules Clement Nguedia
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Assob
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Hygiene, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. nsaghads@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Dickson Shey
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Nsagha
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. b.tayong@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tayong Dizzle Bita
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Kwenti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. kwentitebit@yahoo.com.|Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, P.B. 63, Buea, Cameroon. kwentitebit@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tebit Emmanuel
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Kwenti
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D060085:Coinfection; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D062486:Public Health Surveillance