TY - JOUR
T1 - Subclinical Enteric Parasitic Infections and Growth Faltering in Infants in São Tomé, Africa
T2 - A Birth Cohort Study
AU - Garzón, Marisol
AU - Pereira-da-Silva, Luís
AU - Seixas, Jorge
AU - Papoila, Ana Luísa
AU - Alves, Marta
N1 - info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/SFRH/SFRH%2FBD%2F81431%2F2011/PT#
This study is part of a PhD thesis performed at the Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal by one of the authors (Marisol Garzón), supervised andco-supervised by two authors (Luis Pereira-da-Silva and Jorge Seixas, respectively). The authors are very grateful
to Sónia Centeno Lima, PhD, the former PhD thesis supervisor, for her valuable contributions to the design and implementation of the study; to Ana Reis, laboratory technician, for her double-check, independent microscopic
examination; and to the non-governmental organization Marquês de Valle Flôr Institute, namely, Paulo Telles de Freitas, Ahmed Zaky, Edgar Neves, and António Lima, for the logistic local support. Funding: This study is
supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia [Grant number SFRH/BD/81431/2011].
PY - 2018/4/5
Y1 - 2018/4/5
N2 - The associations between enteric pathogenic parasites and growth in infants in São Tomé were explored using a refined anthropometric approach to recognize early growth faltering. A birth cohort study was conducted with follow-up to 24 months of age. Microscopic examination for protozoa and soil-transmitted helminths was performed. Anthropometric assessments included: z-scores for weight-for-length (WLZ), length-for-age (LAZ), weight (WAVZ) and length velocities (LAVZ), length-for-age difference (LAD), and wasting and stunting risk (≤-1 SD). Generalized additive mixed effects regression models were used to explore the associations between anthropometric parameters and enteric parasitic infections and cofactors. A total of 475 infants were enrolled, and 282 completed the study. The great majority of infants were asymptomatic. Giardia lamblia was detected in 35.1% of infants in at least one stool sample, helminths in 30.4%, and Cryptosporidium spp. in 14.7%. Giardia lamblia and helminth infections were significantly associated with mean decreases of 0.10 in LAZ and 0.32 in LAD, and of 0.16 in LAZ and 0.48 in LAD, respectively. Cryptosporidium spp. infection was significantly associated with a mean decrease of 0.43 in WAVZ and 0.55 in LAVZ. The underestimated association between subclinical parasitic enteric infections and mild growth faltering in infants should be addressed in public health policies.
AB - The associations between enteric pathogenic parasites and growth in infants in São Tomé were explored using a refined anthropometric approach to recognize early growth faltering. A birth cohort study was conducted with follow-up to 24 months of age. Microscopic examination for protozoa and soil-transmitted helminths was performed. Anthropometric assessments included: z-scores for weight-for-length (WLZ), length-for-age (LAZ), weight (WAVZ) and length velocities (LAVZ), length-for-age difference (LAD), and wasting and stunting risk (≤-1 SD). Generalized additive mixed effects regression models were used to explore the associations between anthropometric parameters and enteric parasitic infections and cofactors. A total of 475 infants were enrolled, and 282 completed the study. The great majority of infants were asymptomatic. Giardia lamblia was detected in 35.1% of infants in at least one stool sample, helminths in 30.4%, and Cryptosporidium spp. in 14.7%. Giardia lamblia and helminth infections were significantly associated with mean decreases of 0.10 in LAZ and 0.32 in LAD, and of 0.16 in LAZ and 0.48 in LAD, respectively. Cryptosporidium spp. infection was significantly associated with a mean decrease of 0.43 in WAVZ and 0.55 in LAVZ. The underestimated association between subclinical parasitic enteric infections and mild growth faltering in infants should be addressed in public health policies.
KW - birth cohort
KW - enteric parasitic infection
KW - infant growth
KW - low-middle-income country
KW - subclinical infection
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph15040688
DO - 10.3390/ijerph15040688
M3 - Article
C2 - 29621166
VL - 15
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1660-4601
IS - 4
M1 - 688
ER -
