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[The prevalence of enteropathogens in urban day nurseries]
N Batista Díaz1, M T López de Lama, S Muñoz Hernaz
1Sección de Bacteriología, Hospital Ntra Sra de Candelaria, Sta Cruz de Tenerife.
Insights
Parasites are the most common intestinal pathogens in preschool children attending urban day-nurseries, affecting 21% of children. Rotavirus was less frequent, and bacterial infections were rare in this population.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Context:
- Preschool children in urban day-nurseries are a vulnerable population for infectious diseases.
- Understanding the prevalence of intestinal pathogens is crucial for implementing effective control measures.
Purpose:
- To determine the prevalence of intestinal pathogens in preschool children attending urban day-nurseries.
- To identify the most common enteropathogens in this demographic.
Summary:
- A survey of 408 children and 31 adults in urban day-nurseries found parasites to be the most prevalent enteropathogens (21% in children, 19% in adults).
- Rotavirus was detected in 3% of children's samples, while bacterial infections were isolated cases.
- Double infections were rare, occurring in only 0.74% of the surveyed children.
Impact:
- Findings highlight the significant burden of parasitic infections in young children within day-care settings.
- This data can inform public health strategies for pathogen surveillance and prevention in childcare facilities.
- Emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to reduce parasite transmission among preschool-aged children.
Background:
Survey on the intestinal pathogens prevalence in a population of preschool children attending to the urban day-nurseries.
Methods:
Samples of faeces of 408 children and 31 adults, in their charge, were collected. The children were classified per sex, age and kind of day-nursery they were to; data on their physical condition and the faeces characteristics were obtained.
Results:
Parasites were the enteropathogens, found with the greatest frequency (21% of children and 19% of adults), next were rotavirus (3% of the children's samples and only one case in adults). The cases of a double parasitization only were 0.74% of the total number of the children surveyed (3 children per each case).
Conclusions:
The highest prevalence of enteropathogens in children attending to the urban day-nurseries in our community belongs to the group of parasites; rotavirus are a much smaller group and bacterium are only isolated cases.