Seroprevalence of Teniasis and Cisticercosis in School Children From Peñón, Estate Sucre, Venezuela

Abstract

Cysticercosis represents a problem of public health in geographic areas where insalubrity is present. With the objective of determining the prevalence of teniasis and cysticercosis in the town EL Peñón and its possible association with risk factors, 100 children of both sexes were studied, chosen at random, during the period September 2000 to September 2001. A survey was used to collect personal data and epidemiological data. To determined the presence of Taenia sp.eggs, fresh stool samples were collected, and were examined wet with saline physiologic solution at 0.85% using the Ritchie concentration method. Additionally 5ml of blood were extracted from the vein to quantify specific antibodies of AbG anticysticerci by the ELISA technique, using antigens of T. crassiseps. They were no eggs of taenia sp. in the samples of stool, however, 3.00% presented levels of AbG anticysticerci equal to or higher than 1:512. The largest seroprevalence was in males (3.445), in the status V (7.14%), in the children that did not wash their hands before eating (5.17%), or after going to the bathroom (4.00%), or who drink non-treated water (5.66%), that sleep in crowded conditions (6.66%) and in children who live in houses where pigs are raised (7.14%). No statistically significant association was found between the risk factors and the presence of AbG anticisticerci. The results obtained suggest the need for epidemic surveillance in the infantile population of the community.