Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Under-Five Children With Malnutrition in Sohag, Egypt

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Under-Five Children With Malnutrition in Sohag, Egypt

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in under-five children with malnutrition.

Malnourished children are vulnerable to IPIs suffering. In contrast, IPIs can contribute considerably to the evolution of undernutrition in the pediatric population, thus creating a potentially lethal cycle/vicious cycle of worsening illness and deteriorating nutritional status so, I will examine stool specimens of those children suffering from malnutrition.

One fecal sample will be collected from each patient in a labelled clean plastic container. Specimens will be immediately transferred to the Medical Parasitology Department laboratory The obtained fecal samples will be both macroscopically and microscopically examined. For microscopic examination, specimens will be examined by direct smear and FECT.

Anthropometric indices will be used for checking the nutritional status of the recruited children.

Inclusion Criteria:

- 100 children aged between 6 months and 5 years, having malnutrition symptoms (growth retardation, failure to thrive, lethargy, generalized weakness, xerophthalmia, etc.) will be randomly recruited from pediatric outpatient clinics, Faculty of medicine, Sohag University.

Exclusion Criteria:

• children who took specific anthelmintic, antiprotozoal, purgatives or anti-diarrheal drugs three weeks before the stool sampling.