The document discusses the importance of identifying intestinal parasites, noting that parasites like ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm infect over 2.5 billion people worldwide, causing illnesses and mortality. It outlines the health impacts of these parasites, especially on children, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised groups. Proper diagnosis of intestinal parasites is important to maximize detection and avoid false negatives, and concentration and analysis techniques are described.

1. Trichuris trihiura whipworm egg
Necator americanus hookworm egg Hookworm eggs Ascaris lumbricoides roundworm egg
WHY IS IDENTIFYING INTESTINAL PARASITES
IMPORTANT?

2. Intestinal Parasites
• Intestinal parasites cause many illnesses and mortality
throughout the world
• More than 1.3 billion people worldwide have ascariasis,
and 250 million suffer from associated morbidity
Ascariasis:
disease of humans
caused by the parasitic
roundworm Ascaris
lumbricoides
Ascaris lumbricoides roundworm
Source: World Health Organization 2004

3. Intestinal Parasites
• Intestinal parasites cause many illnesses and mortality
throughout the world
• Trichuriasis afflicts about 1 billion people throughout the
world
Trichuriasis:
parasitic infection in the
gut the caused by the
parasitic whipworm
Trichuris trichiura
Trichuris trichiura whipworm
Source: World Health Organization 2004

4. Intestinal Parasites
• Hookworms infect over 1.25 billion people throughout the
world. The hookworms (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma
duodenale) are medically important human parasites and
cause serious morbidity in many parts of the world.
Hookworm:
live in the small intestine
of the host sucking and
ingesting blood through
the intestine wall Hookworms
Source: World Health Organization 2004

5. Intestinal Parasites
Parasite Infections Cause
• Diarrhea, Blood in the stool, Dehydration
• Aggravate malnutrition & Weight loss
• Protein & Micronutrition depletion
• Promotes anaemia & Fatigue
• Intestinal inflammation, alter gastrointestinal physiology
• Inhibits growth
• Morbidity and mortality
Source: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996, Parasitology, Vol 121 2000 pp.S23-S38

6. Intestinal Parasites
Groups in high risk
•Children
•Pregnant women
•Elderly
•People with comorbidities
• Cancer patients
• HIV patients
Source: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996, Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2006, J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1997, Jpn, J. Infect. Dis 2002

7. Intestinal Parasites
Intestinal Parasite Infections in Children
• Weighed as much as two kilograms less than healthy
children
• Anaemic
• Anti-parasite treatment:
• dramatic increase in their short- and long-term
memory
• increase in reasoning capacity and reading
comprehension
• school absenteeism dropped by as much as 25%
Source: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996, Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2006, J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1997, Jpn, J. Infect. Dis 2002

8. Intestinal Parasites
Intestinal Parasite Infections in Pregnant Women
• Increase anaemia
• Low pregnancy weight gain
• Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)
• Low birth weight (LBW)
• Greater risks of infection
• Higher perinatal mortality rates
• Impact on new-born health
Source: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996, Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2006, J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1997, Jpn, J. Infect. Dis 2002

9. Intestinal Parasites
Intestinal Parasite Infections in Elderly
• Gastrointestinal problems are among the most common
health problems of elderly people (60+ years)
• Leading cause of death
• Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and India
• Reported prevalence of intestinal parasitosis
Source: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996, Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2006, J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1997, Jpn, J. Infect. Dis 2002

10. Intestinal Parasites
Intestinal Parasite Infections in People with
Comorbidities
• Infectious complications are frequent causes of morbidity
and mortality
• Cancer patients
• Increased parasitic infections
• HIV-seropositive and AIDS patients
• Chronic diarrhea is responsible for considerable
morbidity and mortality
Source: Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1996, Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2006, J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1997, Jpn, J. Infect. Dis 2002

12. Intestinal Parasite Data: WHO
• Major cause of human disease and misery
• Plague billions of people
• Kill millions annually
• Present and worsening threat to human health and
welfare around the globe
• The Global Burden of Disease
• Intestinal Parasites
39 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs)
• Malaria
35.7million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs)

13. Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasite Infections
Sample Preparation: Concentration
Maximizes the numbers of ova, cysts & larvae organisms
detected which may be too scanty to be seen by direct
microscopy alone.
Poor concentration technique leads to poor recovery of
parasites.
•Difficult to diagnose
•False negatives
•Increased mortality

14. Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasite Infections
Sample Analysis
• High Sensitivity with great Morphology of ova and oocysts
• Little or No cross-contamination risk
• Consistent Results as it enables the laboratory to have a
Standardised procedure in place
• Safe for lab staff preferably no contact with hazardous
samples or reagents
• Minimum requirements for space and laboratory staff
• Low cost

15. Want More Info?
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