Prevalence and potential risk factors for gastrointestinal parasitic infections in children in urban Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical countries. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of GI parasitic infections in children from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau and to identify the possible risk factors for these infections.

METHODS: We performed an observational study on two comparable cohorts of children 2-15 y of age: one study covering health care-seeking children (n=748) and one study covering children from the background population (n=851). A total of 1274 faecal samples from the two cohorts were investigated for parasites by microscopy and the risk factors for infection were identified by logistic regression.

RESULTS: Intestinal parasitic infections were found in 54.8% of health care-seeking children and 55.5% of children from the background population. Helminth infections were more common among health care-seeking children and were mainly due to hookworms. Pathogenic protozoa included Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Giardia lamblia. The risk factors for infections included increasing age, household crowding and poor sanitation and water supply.

CONCLUSIONS: We found a high prevalence of intestinal parasites among both health care-seeking children and children from the background population. Compared with previous studies, we found a decreasing prevalence of intestinal helminths. This study further identifies potential risk factors for infections, including inadequate sanitation and water supply.