Abstract

COCCIDIOSES IN CHILDREN OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF XERENTE ETHNIC OF THE SALTO VILLAGE, CITY OF TOCANTÍNIA, PROVINCE OF TOCANTINS, BRAZIL

Josefa Moreira do Nascimento Rocha, Valdir Francisco Odorizzi, Paulo Roberto Blanco Moreira Norberg, Guilherme Goulart Oliveira, Rayza Karlla Sales Araújo, Vinícius Dias Evangelista and Antonio Neres Norberg*

ABSTRACT

Cryptosporidium spp. and Cyclospora spp. are protozoans with worldwide distribution, which implant itself on the edges of intestinal microvilli and cause a clinical condition characterized by abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, often affecting children and immunodeficient people. This research has the objective to investigate protozoan oocysts in the faeces of Xerente indigenous children from Salto village, located in the rural area of the city of Tocantínia, Province of Tocantins, Brazil. A total of 104 faecal samples from individuals of both genders were examined. The samples were processed by the Ritchie method. With the obtained sediment, two slides were prepared for each sample per individual, which were stained by the Kinyoun method. The slides were examined under light microscopy at 1000x magnification. The results showed 14 positive samples for Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts and in 4 for Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts, which corresponds to a prevalence coefficient for Cryptosporidium spp. of 13,46 and 3,85 for Cyclospora cayetanensis. Positive cases for coccidia infection were restricted to the age class from 1 to 4 years-old. Analyzing only this age group of 28 children aged from 1 to 4 years old, 14 samples were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts, corresponding to a prevalence of 50% of these individuals. Among 28 children aged from 1 to 4 years, 4 were positive for Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts, corresponding to a prevalence rate of 14,28%.

Keywords: Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis, Indigenous People, enteroparasitoses, diarrhea.