Intestinal helminthiasis: Retrospective study at Parasitology Laboratory from Pasteur Institute of C€te d’Ivoire

Abstract

The intestinal helminthiasis due to soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is a cause of morbidity in the world, especially in the poor and tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa. It leads to real problem of global public health importance. In order to update data about the intestinal helminthiasis, an 11 year retrospective study has been carried out. This work precisely run from 2005 to 2016 and was based on the data about intestinal helminthiasis parasitological diagnosis fulfilled in the Parasitology Unit of Pasteur Institute of Côte d’Ivoire. The data used for this study were obtained from an office access computer designed database. All the sample results recorded from the diagnosis were analyzed. Of 3,600 patients received 36 were positive to intestinal helminths (1.1%). Sex ratio was 0.83 (45.3% males, 54.7% females) with an average age of 33.8 (standard deviation = 19.1 years). The patients aged from 30 to 45 were the most infected (p = 0.011). The helminth species identified were of Trichuris trichiura (17.1%), hookworms (19.5%), Strongyloides stercoralis (21.9%) and Dicrocoelium dendriticum (19.5%). This study shows that the intestinal helminthiasis has just recently decreased in Côte d’Ivoire. The health system authorities must raise more awareness campaigns of the albendazole systematic use in massive treatment in order to reach the utter eradication of these parasitic diseases.

Keywords: Intestinal helminthiasis; positivity rate; Pasteur Institute of Côte d’Ivoire