Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Open Access

Abstract

The prevalence of two gastrointestinal parasites the Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia parasites and their impact on some blood parameters i.e. packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb%) and total protein (TP) of a total 780 patients involved children and adults admitted to Samarra General Hospital was assessed. Samples of fresh feces collected in normal physiological saline were examined using Olympic microscopes. The frequency of the parasite E. histolytica was 12.8% (46.3% male and 53.6% female). The highest frequency of infection of E. histolytica (13.8%) was found at age group (1-5 years old) followed by <1-year-old children while the lowest (7.4%) was at ages (>41 years old). The highest rate of infection (33.9%) was found in September and the lowest (2.2%) in January. Similarly, the general infection frequency of the parasite G. lamblia was 3.9% with the highest rate at ages 1-20 years old and the lowest rate was 7.3% for >50 years old. The monthly, highest rate of infection (5.2%) was in August and least (2.2%) in January (2.2%). The frequency of total protein (TPD) in the blood relevant to the presence of parasite E. histolytica and G. lamblia was 4.6% and 1%, respectively. It is concluded that the above two parasites are the most common gastrointestinal parasite in Iraq which their pathogenesis is likely to escalate during the summer seasons and at low hygienic services environment and was irrelevant to neither anemia nor to total protein deficiency. It is recommended that the Iraqi Ministry of Health should be more concerned about the impact of giardiasis due to its potency in the quick spread.

Biography

E-mail: ayoubbazzaz@yahoo.co.uk