Intestinal amoebiasis and giardiasis in southern Indian infants and children

The role of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia as causative agents of paediatric diarrhoea was studied in a southern Indian population. Relationship between infant feeding practices, co-existing malnutrition and the occurrence of intestinal amoebiasis and giardiasis was also examined. The subjects were 361 paediatric patients with acute diarrhoea and 70 hospitalized control children without diarrhoea. Faecal samples from cases and controls were examined for the protozoal pathogens using faecal preservatives, permanent staining and formalin-ether concentration. Bacteriological studies were conducted on 244 of the 361 cases. A high prevalence of invasive amoebiasis was seen in the 0–6 month (12·5%) and 7–12 month (20·3%) age groups. Giardiasis was uncommon under 6 months (2·1%) but occurred in 8–10% of all other age groups. Invasive amoebiasis occurred mainly in children on weaning foods (45·9%) and in exclusively breast-fed children (13·5%). Giardiasis was not seen in exclusively breast-fed infants, but commonly occurred in older children on normal diets. There was no association between amoebiasis or giardiasis and malnutrition.