ABSTRACT

We investigated the frequency of the presence of intestinal parasites and the factors affecting this frequency in an elementary school. We tried to discover whether there was a relationship between the presence of intestinal parasites and sanitary habits such as hand washing, toilet flushing, and use of human manure, cleanness of drinking water and also the educational level of the parents. A total of 114 students participated in this study. Samples were collected using cellophane tape preparations. All fecal samples were examined using native- Lugol and the trichrome staining. Fecal samples taken from 111 students were examined, 37 (33.3%) of them contained one or more parasites. The parasites encountered most often were E. vermicularis 16 (14.4%), G. intestinalis 10 (9.0%), and E. coli 4 (3.6%). In addition children carrying intestinal parasites complained about abdominal pain (22 students), itchy nose and the accumulation of saliva around their mouths (9 students). Although no meaningful relationship was found between the use of human manure/toilet flushing with the presence of parasites, the educational level of the parents, cleanness of the drinking water and hand washing habits seem to be related to the presence of parasites. Our findings indicate that elementary students should be educated in the prevention of parasitic infections.