Prevalence of Human Intestinal Parasites in Tabriz City of Iran During 2018 and the Importance of These Parasites in Public Health

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections are among the main problems in developing countries. It is estimated that over 4.5 billion people in the world have been infected with a variety of intestinal parasites. Numerous studies conducted in different parts of Iran showed the spread of intestinal parasite infections in different urban and rural areas. However, the prevalence of these infections significantly reduced in recent years due to improvements in public health. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital in Tabriz city of Iran, 700 stool samples were collected during one year and studied using formalin-ether concentration method and Lugol’s iodine staining. Results: In this study, six types of parasites including Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba coli, Chilomastix mesnili, Blastocystis hominis, and Enterobius vermicularis were detected in 700 fecal samples. A total of 112 (16%) samples were infected, among which 43 (40%) were infected with Giardia lamblia, 35 (32%) with Entamoeba histolytica, 20 (18%) with Enterobius vermicularis, 10 (9%) with Entamoeba coli, 3 (0.026%) with Blastocystis hominis, and 1 (0.008%) with Chilomastix mesnili. Conclusion: In this study, the highest prevalence of infection belonged to Giardia lamblia (40%), which is consistent with the statistics published by the World Health Organization. According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that despite the increase in the provision of health services in cities and villages, the prevalence of intestinal parasites, especially Giardia lamblia, is one of the major problems in the region. Therefore, there is a need for proper and coherent health planning in the region and accurate and up-to-date epidemiological information.