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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
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Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
[Intestinal parasitic diseases in children]
Anca Mare1, A Man, Felicia Toma
1Universitatea de Medicină Si Farmacie Târgu-Mureş Disciplina de Microbiologie.
Bacteriologia, Virusologia, Parazitologia, Epidemiologia (Bucharest, Romania : 1990)
|March 31, 2009
Summary
Children in rural areas and aged 5-10 years face higher risks of intestinal parasitic infections. The "Scotch tape" test is more effective for diagnosing pinworm infections compared to fecal tests.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Parasitology
- Public health
Background:
- Intestinal parasitosis is a significant health concern in children.
- Understanding risk factors and diagnostic efficacies is crucial for effective control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare intestinal parasitosis incidence in urban versus rural children.
- To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of different parasitologic methods.
Main Methods:
- Study involved children from urban (n=214) and rural (n=74) areas.
- Fecal samples were collected and examined using three distinct diagnostic methods.
- The "Scotch tape" test was also employed for sample collection.
Main Results:
- Intestinal parasitosis incidence was higher in rural areas and in children aged 5-10 years.
- Ascariasis was the most prevalent infection in both urban and rural settings.
- Employing three diagnostic methods increased the detection rate of positive cases.
Conclusions:
- Rural residence and age (5-10 years) are identified as risk factors for intestinal parasitosis.
- The "Scotch tape" test demonstrated superior efficiency for Enterobius vermicularis detection.
- Concurrent use of three fecal examination methods is recommended to enhance diagnostic sensitivity.
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