We carried out a
cross-sectional study from January to December 2015 on 1,425 inhabitants from a
floating population in the Brazilian
Amazon (Murinin district, Pará
State ) to describe the
population -based
prevalence of
tuberculosis (TB) from 2011 to 2014, recent TB contacts (rCts) latently infected with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (LTBI) , the coverage of the local
health network, socio-environmental factors, and frequency of intestinal
parasitic infection (IPI). We found that the sanitary structure was inadequate, with
latrines being
shared with other rooms within the same accommodation; well
water was the main source of
water , and 48% of
families had low
incomes . The average rate of TB was 105/100, 000 inhabitants per year; one third of TB
patients had been
household contacts of infected individuals in the past, and 23% of rCts were LTBI. More than half (65%) of 44% of the stools examined (representing 76% of the
housing ) had IPIs; the highest
prevalence was of fecal-oral transmitted protozoa (40%,
Giardia intestinalis ), followed by
soil -transmitted
helminths (23%). TB
transmission may be related to insufficient
disease control of rCts, frequent relocation, and underreporting.
Education , adopting hygienic
habits , improving
sanitation ,
provision of a treated
water supply and efficient
sewage system , further comprehensive epidemiological
surveillance of those
who enter and leave the
community and
resources for basic
treatment of IPIs are crucial in combating the
transmission of these
neglected diseases