[Prevalence of giardiasis in day care centers in San Francisco municipality, state of Zulia, Venezuela]. / Prevalencia de Giardiasis en Hogares de Cuidado Diario en el municipio San Francisco, estado Zulia, Venezuela.

The number of children Day Care Centers has increased progressively in underdeveloped countries. These Institutions offer conditions that facilitate the transmission of enteric agents. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Giardiasis in Day Care Centers from San Francisco municipality, Zulia state, Venezuela. A poll was applied to collect personal and clinical data. Fecal samples from 82 children of one or another sex, between 11 months and 6 years old, who normally assist to four Day Care Centers of the municipality mentioned above, were analyzed. The samples were processed by fresh examination, lugol temporal coloration and the formol-ether technique. A percentual analysis was applied for the statistical study. From the 82 processed samples, 37 (45.1%) showed the presence of Giardia lamblia. The clinical symptoms most frequently observed in the study were abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss and inappetence. Statistical results did not show a significant difference of this parasitic disease with relationship to sex; however, there is a predominance in children of school age (75%). The result of this work shows a high prevalence of Giardiasis in Day Care Centers of the municipality studied, which suggests that this institutions gather the conditions that facilitate the transmission of this flagellate, and that preventive measures must be put into practice.