Comparative study of the intestinal parasitism profiles between communities across the 5 municipalities of the Barranquilla metropolitan area, Colombia

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the rate of parasitism and intestinal parasitism profiles of children who live in relatively proximal communities across the 5 municipalities of the Barranquilla metropolitan area, Colombia. METHODS: In total, 986 fecal samples from children aged 1 to 10 were analyzed using a direct method (physiological saline and lugol) and the zinc sulfate flotation technique. A comparative analysis of the parasitism profiles between sampling locations (7 schools and 3 health centers providing growth and development services) was conducted using principal component analysis (PCA). The presence of Taenia solium antibodies was evaluated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method in 269 serum samples from the same group of children. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitism was 57.6% (range, 42.1%–77.6%) across the sampling areas. The prevalence of helminthiasis was between 4.1% and 23.7%, and that of intestinal protozoa was between 38.2% and 73.5%. PCA showed that the parasite profiles of each sampling location shared no common characteristics. A total of 3.0% of the serum samples were positive for T. solium antibodies. CONCLUSION: The intestinal parasitism profiles between relatively proximal sampling locations with similar geographic conditions were vastly different, indicating the need to study each small ecological niche on a localized scale to develop more cost-effective interventions for controlling intestinal parasitism.