Intestinal parasitism among waste pickers in Mato Grosso do Sul, Midwest Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Higa Júnior, Minoru German
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Cardoso, Wesley Márcio, Weis, Sabrina Moreira dos Santos, França, Adriana de Oliveira, Pontes, Elenir Rose Jardim Cury, Silva, Patrícia Vieira da, Oliveira, Márcia Pereira de, Dorval, Maria Elizabeth Moraes Cavalheiros
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/rimtsp/article/view/143757
• topic: Occupational health; Solid waste; Parasites; Vitamins; Hypovitaminose A; Hypovitaminose C; Cytokines; Waste pickers; Parasitosis; Intestinal parasitism; Intestinal parasitosis

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasites in both cooperative-affiliated and independent waste pickers operating at the municipal sanitary landfill in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and associate these findings with hemoglobin, eosinophils, vitamin A and C levels and interleukin 5 and 10 (IL-5 and IL-10) production. Biological samples were collected, in addition to clinical, epidemiological, and sociodemographic data. Stool analyzes were based on sedimentation by centrifugation and on spontaneous sedimentation. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine vitamin A and C levels. ELISA was employed to quantify interleukins. Intestinal parasites were found in 29 of the 66 subjects assessed (43.9%). Endolimax nana (22.7%), Entamoeba coli (21.1%), Giardia lamblia (6.1%), Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (4.5%), and Ascaris lumbricoides (4.5%) were the most prevalent species. Pathogenic parasites were detected in 11 individuals (16.7%). Hypovitaminoses A and C were detected in 19.6% (13/66) and 98.4% (65/66) of subjects, respectively. IL-5 and IL-10 production was observed in 21 (31.8%) and 32 (48.4%) subjects, respectively. Infection with pathogenic intestinal parasites was not a cause of vitamin A and C deficiency or IL-5 and IL-10 production among these workers.