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An investigation of the prevalence of intestinal parasites in pre-school children in Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

Akweley Annan ,
D. W. T. Crompton ,
D. E. Walters  and
S. E. Arnold
Akweley Annan
Affiliation:
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 14853, USA
D. W. T. Crompton
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Molteno Institute, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE
D. E. Walters
Affiliation:
AFRC Statistics Group, Department of Applied Biology, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3DX
S. E. Arnold
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Molteno Institute, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE
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Summary

Evidence for the presence of 11 intestinal parasites in pre-school children from 4 rural villages in Ghana was obtained from an examination of stool samples. Striking differences were detected between the prevalence of some of the 6 common infections in the 4 villages. The prevalance of Ascaris lumbricoides varied from about 76% in one village (Oshiyie, coastal savanna) to apparently 0% in another (Akuma, forest zone). No differences in prevalence for any infection were observed to be sex dependent. Investigation of the relationship between age of the children and prevalance showed that the degree of prevalence of both A. lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura had essentially levelled off by the time the children were 4 years old. There was no evidence to suggest that the prevalence of either Entamoeba sp. or spp. or hookworm was approaching a maximum value, even in the oldest children. These trends applied across the villages regardless of the differences in prevalence values for the infections. On average, the children of Oshiyie were found to harbour twice as many infections as the children of the other villages. The investigation of the prevalence data revealed evidence of associations between pairs of infections, particularly those involving hookworm and T. trichiura.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 92 , Issue 1 , February 1986 , pp. 209 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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References

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