[Which are the most frequent enteropathogenic parasites found in clinical practice?]

Infectious diarrhea is seen with increasing frequency in general practice. The main reason is growing tourism in countries with conditions of public health different from ours, where the incidence of enteropathogenic parasites is higher. To obtain an overview of these parasites, the results of 23,276 stool samples from patients in general practice throughout Switzerland were analyzed. Protozoa were found in 32% of samples (4.6% pathogenic protozoa, 24% facultative pathogenic protozoa and 3.4% apathogenic protozoa). Helminths were demonstrated in 2.9% of stool samples. The helminth spectrum covered 15 types, with Trichuris trichiuria predominating (one third). 8% of the Swiss population travel every year to areas with a higher diarrhea incidence. A proportion of these subjects constitute a health risk on their return to Switzerland. They chiefly consist of people working in, or living with someone working in, the food industry. Specific parasitologic diagnosis of diarrhea contributes significantly to reducing this risk.