Background and aims: We investigated the children of Parana State, Brazil the
prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and the associated factors involved in the transmission
of intestinal parasites, and we genotyped the Giardia duodenalis isolates obtained.
Methods: Fecal samples were analyzed by established microscopic methods.
G. duodenalis positive samples were subjected to genotypic characterization by PCR
amplification of sequences of the glutamate dehydrogenase gene (gdh) and by enzymatic
digestion with the restriction enzyme NlaIV for classification of genotypes.
Results: Of the 877 samples tested, 41% were positive for some intestinal parasitosis, the
most common being the presence of protozoa (87.8%). Lack of basic sanitation and poor
health education were associated for the intestinal parasite cases found, and the only
associated factor for giardiasis was low family income. The G. duodenalis assemblages
of gdh amplified samples were 68.6% B and 31.4% AII.
Conclusion: These data demonstrate the importance of epidemiological studies for
the development of effective strategies with the aim of decreasing the incidence of
intestinal parasites in children. Moreover, these results contribute to our knowledge of
G. duodenalis assemblages circulating in the world and also offer support for future work
on the molecular and clinical aspects of giardiasis
