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Parasitic infections in Swiss children: Are we overtesting?
Corinne Légeret1, Céline Rüttimann2, Hans Fankhauser3
1Children's Hospital of Aarau, Tellstrasse 9, 5001, Aarau, Switzerland. Corinne.Legeret@bluewin.ch.
Insights
Gastrointestinal parasite infections in children are common. This study found Blastocystis to be the most frequent parasite, suggesting specific groups like immunocompromised children with diarrhea should be tested.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Microbiology
Background:
- Gastrointestinal symptoms in children have diverse causes, including parasitic infections.
- Increased international travel may necessitate more testing for parasitic infections in pediatric populations.
- Current clinical guidelines for testing pediatric patients for parasitic infections are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize Swiss children diagnosed with intestinal parasites.
- To provide clinicians with data to identify children who require parasitic infection testing.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of stool samples from Swiss pediatric patients.
- Testing for parasites and helminths over a 10-year period.
Main Results:
- 1855 stool samples from 572 children (average age 7.9 years) were analyzed.
- The overall prevalence of positive parasitic results was 4.2%.
- Blastocystis was the most common finding, with 12.5% co-infection with Endolimax nana.
Conclusions:
- Testing for parasitic infections is recommended for immigrants, immunocompromised children with diarrhea, and pediatric patients with bloody or protracted diarrhea.
- Examination of two distinct stool specimens is advised for suspected parasitic infections.
Background:
A wide variation of causes can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms in children- an infection with parasites is one of them. The expansion of international travel might lead to an increase in testing children for a correspondent infection. Currently there are no guidelines available, which patients should be tested for a possible parasitical infection. The aim of the study was to characterize Swiss children suffering from intestinal parasites, in order to provide more knowledge for the clinician who should be tested.
Methods:
This is a retrospective study of Swiss pediatric patients, whose stools have been tested for parasites and helminths.
Results:
A total of 1855 stool samples, belonging to 572 different children with an average age of 7.9 years, were tested within a 10-year period. The prevalence of a positive result was 4.2%, of which all were positive for Blastocystis, and 12.5% had a co-infection with Endolimax nana.
Conclusion:
Immigrants, immune compromised children with diarrhea and pediatric patients with bloody or protracted diarrhea should have 2 different stool specimens examined for a possible parasitical infection.
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