Intestinal protozoan parasitic infection among school children.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal protozoan parasitosis is highly prevalent among general population, majority of them are children. The objective of the study is to find out the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infection in school children of Sindhuli. METHODS: Stool samples were collected from school children of Sindhuli in June 2011 and investigated in National Institute of Tropical Medicine and Public Health Research, Laboratory by using formal-ether concentration method. Statistical significance was analyzed by using Chi-Square test. RESULTS: A total of 342 stool samples were collected and 68 (19.8%) protozoan parasites were identified. The prevalence rate of protozoa in boys and girls were 16.9% and 22.0% respectively. Altogether 5 species of protozoan parasites were detected. Of them Entamoeba coli was most common followed by Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Blastocystis hominis and Endolimax nana. Positive rate was highest in Dalit (20.3%), and least in Indo-Aryan (19.6%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a low prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasitosis among children even though this study emphasizes the need for improved environmental hygiene i.e. clean water supplies and enhanced sanitation.

Study on carrier rate of Streptococcus pyogenes among the school children and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of isolates.

This study was done to investigate the rate of Streptococcus pyogenes or Group A streptococcus (GAS) and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of isolates in asymptomatic school children in Kathmandu and Sindhuli districts. Pharyngeal swabs were collected and subjected to crystal violet blood agar (CVBA). A total of 468 asymptomatic school aged children were included and 51 (10.8%) were found to be GAS carrier. Among the isolates 23 (12.0%) were from boys where 28 (10.1%) were from girls. The GAS colonization rate was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05) with sex and age sub-group, although the rate was slightly higher among the boys and age sub group 10-12 years. GAS was significantly higher in large family size (p < 0.05). Out of 51 isolates, 100.0% isolates were sensitive to antibiotic penicillin where as 7.8% and 5.8% isolates were resistant to antibiotic ampicillin and erythromycin respectively.