CEPAVE   05420
CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS PARASITOLOGICOS Y DE VECTORES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Socio-environmental conditions, intestinal parasitic infections and nutritional status in children from a suburban neighborhood of La Plata, Argentina
Autor/es:
GAMBOA MI; NAVONE G T; ORDEN B; TORRES, MF; CASTRO L.; OYHENART EE
Revista:
ACTA TROPICA
Editorial:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Referencias:
Año: 2009
ISSN:
0001-706X
Resumen:
We analyzed intestinal parasitic infections in children aged 112 years from a poor neighborhood in La
Plata, Argentina, and determined the correlations with their nutritional status and socio-environmental
conditions. We performed parasitological analyses with anal brushed technique (for Enterobius vermicularis
eggs) and fecal samples, employing the techniques of Ritchie, Carles Barthelemy and Willis. The
worm burdens of nematodes were estimated by means of Kato Katz technique. Low weight-for-age
(underweight), height-for-age (stunting) and weight-for-height (wasting) were calculated based on the
5th centile of the WHO 2006 (children under 5) and CDC 2000 (older children and adolescents) growth
references. We also analyzed samples of soil, water, and canine feces and surveyed other domestic and
environmental data using structured questionnaires to each childs parents. To associate the parasitological,
anthropometric and socio-environmental data, a categorical analysis of principal components
(catPCA) was conducted. In the first axis of catPCA, the correlations among socio-environmental variables
showed a gradient of relative welfare. The eigenvectors showed the most influential variables in
the analysis were promiscuity (0.0765), fathers education (−0.741), crowding (0.727), wastewater disposal
(−0.658), mothers education (−0.574), and flooding (−0.409). The 85% of childrenwere parasitized
and 79.6% polyparasitized. The 27.7% of children had deficit in some nutritional status indicator, being
the stunting the most prevalent deficit (16.8%). There also found parasites in 42% of the dog feces, 53%
of the soil samples, and non-pathogenic amoebae in the water samples. The SEV was mainly associated
with geohelminths and stunting, especially among the poorest children. The study evidences that living
conditions are variable within this population. Part of these variations could be linked to the differences
in the extent to which parents are able to use their scant resources to influence their childrens morbidity.
Further studies need to be done from a qualitative approach.