RESUMO
Antibody prevalence to Toxoplasma gondii among residents of a Pacific coastal region of Oaxaca State, Mexico is among low rates reported worldwide. From 60 small, rural communities, 3229 persons from ages 6 months to over 70 years provided blood specimens that were stored on filter papers. 124 (3.8%) of the eluates were seropositive (positive titer greater than 1:256) in the indirect hemagglutination test, and 43 (1.3%) had titers greater than 1:1024. Seropositive rates increased by age group and females were positive twice as often as males. There was no difference in rates for persons who lived at sea level, compared to those who lived between 600 and 1800 meters. In two small communities in which the number of persons tested were a large percentage of the total population, seropositive rates were 1.0 and 1.9%, respectively. The probable explanation for these low rates is the near absence of cats and paucity of meat in the diet. By contrast, sera tested from 479 persons living about 150 km to the east in the coastal, urban towns of Tehuantepec of Salina Cruz showed positive reactions among 122 (125.5%), and 71 (14.8%) had titers less than 1:1024. These people had a higher standard of living, more meat in their diet, and a few cats.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Toxoplasma/imunologia , Toxoplasmose/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Altitude , Animais , Gatos , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Etnicidade , Feminino , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Toxoplasmose/sangue , Toxoplasmose/imunologiaAssuntos
Doença de Chagas/diagnóstico , Humanos , Panamá , Testes Sorológicos , América do Sul , Estados UnidosRESUMO
The prevalences of intestinal parasites among the residents of three South American Indian villages in the process of acculturation were compared with those found in earlier unpublished surveys in two newly contracted village.s Although one individual in an acculturating village harbored 11 different intestinal parasites, in general the average number of different parasitic species carried per person was somewhat higher in the newly contacted villages. Helminth egg counts, performed on direct smears of each specimen from one newly contacted village, were low. There were no sex-associated differences in prevalences. The overall prevalences, unadjusted for age, were among the highest recorded for Amerindians. No Taenia species were present. Balantidium coli was present in two acculturating villages, concomitant with the beginning of agricultural practices which include raising swine. No cases of moderate or severe protein-calorie malnutrition was observed in any of the villages during the surveys. These limited data provide a baseline for future comparisons and, perhaps, a glimpse into the past.