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Effects of age-targeted treatment of intestinal parasite infections in Serbia
A Nikolić1, O Durković-Daković, Z Petrović
1Institute for Medical Research, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Insights
This study on Serbian schoolchildren found 31% had intestinal parasites. Chemotherapy significantly reduced infections, with reinfection primarily by Ascaris lumbricoides, highlighting treatment
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Intestinal parasite infections are a significant public health concern, particularly in school-aged children.
- Serbia has areas with endemic parasitic infections affecting child populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To survey intestinal parasite prevalence in Serbian schoolchildren.
- To evaluate the efficacy of metronidazole and mebendazole treatment.
- To assess reinfection rates post-chemotherapy.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey of schoolchildren in Serbia identified endemic parasitic infections.
- Treatment administered included metronidazole for Giardia lamblia and mebendazole for helminths (Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura).
- Post-treatment surveys at 3 and 13 months assessed treatment efficacy and reinfection rates.
Main Results:
- Initial survey revealed 31% of children infected with Giardia lamblia, E. vermicularis, A. lumbricoides, and T. trichiura.
- Post-chemotherapy, infection prevalence decreased by 66-100%, demonstrating high drug efficacy.
- After 13 months, only Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence returned to pre-treatment levels, indicating significant control of other parasites.
Conclusions:
- Chemotherapy with metronidazole and mebendazole is highly effective in controlling endemic intestinal parasite infections in schoolchildren.
- Sustained control requires monitoring, as reinfection, particularly with Ascaris lumbricoides, can occur over time.
- This study underscores the importance of chemotherapy as a key strategy in managing and controlling intestinal parasitic diseases in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
A survey of intestinal parasite infections in school-children throughout Serbia revealed an area of endemic infection where 31% of the children examined were found to be infected with Giardia lamblia, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura. All infected children were treated with metronidazole for giardiasis and mebendazole for helminthic infections. A post-chemotherapy survey was performed 3 months later to assess the efficacy of treatment, showing a decrease in the prevalence of all species, thus indicating drug efficacy of 66-100%. A second survey, performed 13 months after chemotherapy to assess the rates of reinfection, showed that only Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence returned to the pre-treatment level. The results of this field study prove chemotherapy to be an important tool in the control of intestinal parasite infections.