Asymptomatic giardiasis-more prevalent in refugees than in native inhabitants of the city of Nis, Serbia

• Authors: Natasa Miladinovic-Tasic , Suzana Tasic , Ivana Kranjcic-Zec , Gordana Tasic , Aleksandar Tasic , Ivan Tasic
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Giardiasis is a parasitic infection of the digestive tract, most commonly occurring in closed communities such as schools, kindergartens, prisons, and campuses. The civil war in the former Yugoslav republics and in Kosovo caused a large number of refugees to take shelter in the territory of Serbia. Such large numbers of refugees could be accommodated only in the collective centers. Our aim was to examine the differences in the prevalence of asymptomatic giardiasis among 122 refugees from the former Yugoslav republics who lived in the collective centers in Nis, Serbia, and 241 native Nis inhabitants. Conventional microscopic examination (CME) of three stool samples with or without concentration technique and the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) methods were used. The CME method of three stool samples is considered the gold standard in our statistical survey. Asymptomatic giardiasis is found in 7 refugees (5.7%) using the EIA method, while using the CME (3 samples) Giardia duodenalis (G. duodenalis) was detected in 6 persons (4.9%). Using the EIA method and the CME (3 samples) G. duodenalis was detected in only 1 person in the population group of native inhabitants (0.4%). Asymptomatic giardiasis was more prevalent in the population group of refugees accommodated in collective centers than in native inhabitants in the Nis municipality, Serbia.

Keywords

EN

Giardia duodenalis; Prevalence; Refugees; Enzyme immunoassay

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Medicine
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 203-206

Dates

published

1 - 6 - 2008

online

9 - 4 - 2008

Contributors

author

Natasa Miladinovic-Tasic

author

Suzana Tasic

author

Ivana Kranjcic-Zec

• Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

author

Gordana Tasic

author

Aleksandar Tasic

• Public Health Center-Nis, Department of Parasitology and Micology, Bul. Dr Zorana Djindjica 50, 18000, Nis, Serbia

author

Ivan Tasic

• Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis, Bul. Dr Zorana Djindjica 81, 18000, Nis, Serbia

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s11536-008-0013-2