title: [Intestinal parasitosis among non-permanent resident students in Tunisia: a review of 23 years of monitoring in the department of Parasitology-Mycology at the Rabta Hospital of Tunisia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to fight digestive parasitism in Tunisia, a national program of surveillance of non-permanent resident students in Tunisia has been found to detect these parasitosis in this target population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis among non-permanent resident students in Tunisia, to identify the different parasitic species founded and to show the interest of this screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a period of 23 years (1990-2012), 7386 parasitological examinations of stools has been made among students essentially from or had visited tropical Africa, Maghreb and Middle-East, at the laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology at the Rabta Hospital of Tunis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of intestinal parasitism found was 34.45% (i.e. 2545 infested students). Among the protozoa that have been isolated in the majority of cases (78.75%), amoebae were most frequently found (86.4%) represented mainly by Entamoeba coli and Endolimax nanus in respectively, 25.62 and 23.33% of parasites isolated; while Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, only pathogenic Amoeba was found in 8.05% of the total of parasites isolated. Regarding helminths, found in 21.25% of parasites isolated, Ankylostome was predominant (34.5%) represented by the species of Necator americanus. A single case of Ancylostom duodenale has been isolated. Among the identified parasite species, 38.7% were known parasitic pathogens for humans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results note the interest of the control of the non-permanent resident students in Tunisia. The precocious tracking and treatment of affected subjects permits to avoid the introduction and the dissemination of parasites already rare and virulent strains in our country.
authors.forename: Kalthoum
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dridi
authors.forename: Najla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fakhfakh
authors.forename: Sleh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belhadj
authors.forename: Emira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaouech
authors.forename: Kalthoum
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallel
authors.forename: Emna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chaker
mesh_terms: D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology