High occurrence of giardiasis in children living on a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, São Paulo, Brazil Alta ocorrência de giardíase em crianças do Assentamento Sem Terra, Araras, São Paulo, Brasil

• Main Authors: Oswaldo Aparecido de Lima Junior, Juliana Kaiser, Rosana Catisti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2013-06-01
• Series: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Subjects: 'Landless farm workers' settlement; Giardiasis; Giardia intestinalis; Parasitic infections; Public health
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652013000300185

Enteric parasitosis remains an important public health problem in many areas around the world including in Brazil, and it is frequently associated with poverty and lack of sanitation facilities. Research carried out over the course of a year revealed that 96.6% (28/29) of children randomly selected from a 'landless farm workers' settlement in Araras, S&#227;o Paulo, aged 4 - 15 years, presented Giardia intestinalis cysts. After referral to the neighborhood Health Office, all the children received tinidazole, given as a single dose of 50 mg/kg and 12 months later, new fecal samples were collected and analyzed. Despite the low adherence to the study, a high percentage (64.3% - 9/14) of the children remained positive for the parasite. This study showed a high positivity of giardiasis in child residents of the settlement, even after treatment; adults were not sensitized to the study and did not collected and/or deliver children fecal samples. The precarious living conditions are consistent with a high susceptibility to parasitic diseases, suggesting that the treatment of the infected individuals without identifying and eradicating the means of contamination is simply a palliative measure.<br>Enteroparasitoses continuam a ser um importante problema de sa&#250;de p&#250;blica em muitas &#225;reas ao redor do mundo, bem como no Brasil, e est&#225; frequentemente associada com a pobreza e &#224; falta de saneamento b&#225;sico. Pesquisa realizada em um ano revelou que 96,6% (28/29) das crian&#231;as com idades entre quatro e 15 anos, recrutadas aleatoriamente no Assentamento Sem Terra em Araras, S&#227;o Paulo, apresentaram cistos de Giardia intestinalis. Ap&#243;s o encaminhamento ao Posto de Sa&#250;de do bairro, todos receberam tinidazol, dose &#250;nica de 50 mg/kg. Ap&#243;s 12 meses, novas amostras de fezes foram coletadas e analisadas. Apesar da baixa ades&#227;o ao estudo, um percentual elevado (64,3% - 9/14) de crian&#231;as permaneceu positivo para o protozo&#225;rio. Este estudo mostrou alta positividade de giard&#237;ase nas crian&#231;as moradoras do assentamento, mesmo ap&#243;s o tratamento; indiv&#237;duos adultos n&#227;o se mostraram sensibilizados com o estudo e n&#227;o coletaram e/ou entregaram amostras fecais dos filhos; e o tratamento dos indiv&#237;duos infectados, sem identifica&#231;&#227;o e erradica&#231;&#227;o das formas de contamina&#231;&#227;o, s&#243; funciona como medida paliativa.