Epidemiological Study of Giardia lamblia in Tikrit city, Iraq

Abstract

Turkan Ahmad Hama Hasan, Abdul Khaleq Alwan Muhaimid, Ayhan Rashid Mahmoud.

This study was conducted during the period from December 2018 to November of 2019, and (615) stool samples were collected from patients attended Tikrit Teaching Hospital, Parasitology Laboratory, and from private laboratories, for both sexes, and for age groups ranged (1-16) years to investigate the prevalence of the parasite Giardia lamblia in Tikrit city. All samples were examined microscopically by the wet swab method and by the flotation method using zinc sulfate. The total infection rate was (14.30%), and the highest rate of infection was among the children of rural areas, the infection rate was (20.87%), while the rate of infection in urban area children was (11.54%). Some factors that affect the rate of infection such as age, gender, educational level, and months of the year also studied. The highest rates of infection were recorded within the age group (4-6) years was (17.61%). Where the highest rate of infection recorded in males (17.30%) and the lowest rate of infection was in females (11.22%). As well as the difference in the rate of infection among months of the year studied. The highest rate of infection was in April (28%), followed by June and May respectively at a rate of (25.49% and 23.7%), and the lowest infection rate was in January (6%). also, the educational level of the father and the mother affected the rate of infection. The lowest level of infection was 24.62% of the children whose parents are educated, as it reached (10.66%, 4.84%).