Comparação de métodos diagnósticos para parasitos intestinais em pré-escolares

Abstract

Parasitological methods are an essential tool in aiding the diagnosis of enteric parasites, encompassing a wide range of techniques, methodologies, and principles. Several of these methods are routinely employed in clinical analysis laboratories and research settings due to their specificity for identifying specific parasite types. Therefore, this study aimed to compare parasitological diagnostic methods (HPJ, Willis-Mollay, Rugai, Mattos and Brisola, and Graham) in children from a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Natal-RN, while simultaneously determining the prevalence of parasitism and associations between helminths and protozoa. Samples from 66 children were analyzed, with 26 (39.3%) positive for protozoa and/or helminths, regardless of the diagnostic method. The most prevalent parasite was Ascaris lumbricoides (25%), followed by Entamoeba coli (22.7%) and hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale and/or Necator americanus - 20,45%). Among the positive samples, 13 exhibited more than one parasite, with eight (30.8%) cases of biparasitism and five (19.2%) cases of polyparasitism. The prevalence of parasites identified by the HPJ method was 25.8%, by the Willis-Mollay method was 21.2% (14), by the Rugai, Mattos and Brisola method was 10.6% (7), and by the Graham method was 7.7% (3). Helminths were observed more frequently in the HPJ (52.9%) and Rugai, Mattos, and Brisola (57.1%) methods, while protozoa were prevalent in the Willis-Mollay method (57.1%). HPJ was the method that recovered both helminths and protozoa and a greater number of parasite genera, followed by the Willis-Mollay method. Thus, the superiority of HPJ compared to the other methods in terms of helminth and protozoan recovery and genus diversity could be confirmed. However, this does not exclude the joint use of more than one parasitological method, as it aids in the diagnosis of enteric parasites and helps to reduce false-negative results.