Iron status of schoolchildren with varying intensities of Trichuris trichiura infection.

The relationship between varying intensities of Trichuris trichiura infection and iron status was examined in Jamaican schoolchildren, aged 7 to 11 years. A total of 409 children was identified with T. trichiura (epg > 1200). A control group comprised 207 uninfected children who were matched by school and class to every pair of infected subjects. Blood samples were obtained from 421 children: 264 infected and 157 controls. Compared to the rest of the children, those with heavy infections (epg > 10,000) had significantly lower (P < 0.05) Hb (11.5 +/- 1.3 vs. 12.1 +/- 1.1 g/dl), MCV (78.6 +/- 6.3 vs. 81.2 +/- 5.5 fl), MCH (26.2 +/- 2.9 vs. 27.5 +/- 2.5 pg) and MCHC (33.2 +/- 1.5 vs. 33.9 +/- 1.4 g/dl). Similarly, the prevalence of anaemia (Hb < 11.0 g/dl) amongst heavily infected children (33%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the rest of the sample (11%). These differences remained significant after controlling for confounding variables including socio-economic status, age, gender, area of residence and the presence of Ascaris infections. Differences in red cell count, ferritin, and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin were not statistically significant and showed no association with the infectious load. These results suggest that in the Jamaican children studied, iron deficiency anemia is associated with Trichuris infections over 10,000 epg, but not with less intense infections.

Iron status of school children with varying intensities of Trichuris trichiura infection

The relationship between varying intensities of Trichuris trichiura infection and iron status was examined in Jamaica schoolchildren, aged 7 to 11 years. A total of 409 children was identified with T. trichiura (epg > 1200). A control group comprised 207 uninfected children who were matched by school and class to every pair of infected subjects. Blood samples were obtained from 421 children: 264 infected and 157 controls. Compared to the rest of the children, those with heavy infections (epg 10,000) had significantly lower )P < 0.05) Hb (11.5 +/-1.3 vs. 12.1 +/- 1.1 g/dl), MCV (78.6 +/- 6.3 vs 81.2 =/- 5.5 fl), MCH(26.2 +/- 2.9 vs. 27.5 +/- 2.5 pg and MCHC (33.2 +/-1.5 vs. 33.9+/- 1.4 g/dl). Similarly, the prevalence of anaemis (Hb < 11.0 g/dl) amongst heavily infected children (33 per cent) was significantly higher (P <0.05) than the rest of the sample (11 per cent). These differences remained significant after controlling for confounding variables including socio-economic status, age, gender, area of residence and the presence of Ascaris infections. Differences in red cell count, ferritin, and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin were not statistically significant and showed no association with the infectious load. These results suggest that in the Jamaican children studied, iron deficiency anemia is associated with Trichuris infections over 10,000 epg, but not with less intense infections (AU)

[Hematologic-nutritional study in children predisposed to infection with high-load of Trichuris trichiura]. / Estudio hematológico-nutricional de niños con predisposición a la infección por alta carga con Trichuris trichiura.

A coproparasitological survey is carried out in 3 family doctors' home-offices in City of Havana Province following the Kato-Katz technique (3 samples from each person); we found 15 children predisposed to high-load infection by Trichuris trichiura. This group was compared to a group of 20 children infected with a low parasite load, and to another group of 20 children with no parasite infection. A study of nutritional anemia was carried out to all of them including: hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin, serum iron, vitamin B12, and serum and erythrocyte folates. No significant differences were found in the mean values of the hematologic parameters under study in the various groups, all values being within normal limits. All the children under study had normal anthropometric-nutritional index values. Based on the results attained, we suggest that the reported anemia in individuals infected with a high load of T. trichiura is not only due to parasite infection; other factors may influence on it, probably a certain concomitant protein-energy deficiency.

Biological implications of polyparasitism.

Polyparasitism appears to be the rule, rather than the exception, both in populations and in individuals in the developing countries of the world. Thus, polyparasitism represents coendemicity in the epidemiologic sense and simultaneous infections in individual patients in the clinical sense. The effects of polyparasitism are often clinically inapparent. In some situations, however, combined infections may exacerbate clinical manifestations. Coexistent infections may also, under some circumstances, suppress disease symptoms. The possibility of either synergistic or antagonistic effects must therefore be considered in planning public-health intervention intervention programs, and the priorities or strategies selected may need to be altered accordingly. There are few available data at present that are suitable for evaluation of the real consequences of polyparasitism, in part because of the many confounding variables involved and the lack of prospective studies. Therefore, future intervention programs should be accompanied by an epidemiologic research component designed to detect clinical or laboratory changes in parasitic and other infections or in host responses.