A community-based study of gastrointestinal helminth and protozoan infection in Western Jamaica

ABSTRACT

A study of gastrointestinal parasitic infection was conducted in four communities in the Parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica. All blood smears (n=1,025) were negative and 63.7 percent of stool specimens (n=696) contained ova/cysts of one or more of 7 helminth and 9 protozoan species. Trichuris and Giardia were the most prevalent species. Prevalence was markedly age-dependent, with infection occurring most commonly in children. It is concluded that gastrointestinal parasitic infections persist at intensity and prevalence levels likely to have a significant impact on community health (AU)