Prevalence and Risk Factors of Giardia lamblia and Blastocystis hominis Infections in Children Under Ten Years Old, Hamadan, Iran

Background: Nowadays, parasitic infections are a major health problem throughout the world, particularly in the developing countries. Objectives: Considering the high susceptibility of children against parasitic infections, the current study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections among children less than ۱۰ years old in urban and rural areas of Hamadan district. Patients and Methods: The current study was conducted on ۳۹۵ children (۲۱۴ males and ۱۸۱ females), referred to urban and rural health centers in Hamadan district in ۲۰۱۳. Stool samples were examined by formalin-ether concentration technique, and trichrome and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining methods. The results were analyzed by chi-square test. Results: Of the ۳۹۵ studied children, ۱۱۲ (۲۸.۴%) were infected with intestinal parasites. Blastocystis hominis was the most frequently detected parasite with the prevalence of ۱۸.۵%, followed by Giardia lamblia (۱۰.۹%), Entamoeba coli (۲.۸%), Dientamoeba fragilis (۰.۸%), Iodamoeba buetschlii (۰.۸%), Chilomastix mesnili (۰.۵%), Cryptosporidium spp. (۰.۵%), Endolimax nana (۰.۳%) and Entamoeba hartmanni (۰.۳%). No cases of infection with helminth parasites were found. Conclusions: The results of the study showed a high prevalence of Giardia lamblia and Blastocystis hominis in rural areas compared to urban regions. Therefore it is necessary to promote the public health awareness in the rural population, in order to reduce the frequency of parasitic infections.