Parasitological and serological studies on Amoebiasis and other intestinal parasitic infections in Recife and its suburban area, Northeast Brazil

Parasitological examinations were carried out during April to August, 1987, with 187 out-patients of the IMIP hospital, located in the center of Recife City, and 464 inhabitants of several villages around Cabo City, 50 Km southeast of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Approximately 71% of the IMIP patients and 92% of the Cabo inhabitants were infected with at least one species of intestinal parasite. There was minimum difference in the prevalence rate of Trichuris trichiura between two areas, whereas the prevalence rates of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms, Strongyloides stercoralis, Schistosoma mansoni and Entamoeba histolytica were higher in the inhabitants of the Cabo City area. Only Giardia lamblia was more prevalent in the out-patients of IMIP hospital. Test tube cultivation revealed that the prevalence rate of Necator americanus in both areas was much higher than that of Ancylostoma duodenale , and also that the prevalence rate of S. stercoralis of the IMIP patients and Cabo inhabitants were 4.5% and 9.6%, respectively. Six hundred and fifteen sera were serologically examined for amoebiasis by the gel diffusion precipitation test (GDP) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the antigen prepared from axenically cultured trophozoite of E. histolytica (strain HM-ITMSS). No positive reaction was observed in all of the sera as examined by GDP, while 32 out of 615 sera were positive on ELISA. Exames parasitológies foram realizados em 187 pacientes do Hospital do IMIP e 464 habitantes de vários vilarejos no município do Cabo, 50 Km à sudeste de Recife, durante os meses de abril a agosto. Aproximadamente 71% dos pacientes examinados do IMIP e 92% dos examinados do Cabo apresentavam-se infectados com, no mínimo, uma espécie de parasita intestinal. Houve uma diferença mínima na taxa de prevalência de Trichuris trichiura entre as duas áreas, entretanto a prevalência de Ascaris lumbricoides, família Ancylostomidae, Strongyloides stercoralis, Schistosoma mansoni e Entamoeba histolytica foi maior entre os habitantes do Cabo. Somente a Giardia lamblia apresentou uma taxa de prevalência maior nos pacientes do IMIP. O cultivo em tubo de ensaio revelou que a prevalência do Necator americanus em relação a do Ancylostoma duodenale era muito maior em ambas as áreas e que a do S. stercoralis entre os pacientes do IMIP e dos habitantes do Cabo era, respectivamente, 4.5% e 9.6%. A amebíase foi verificada através de exames sorológicos, imunodifusão em gel (GDP) e enzim