TY - JOUR
T1 - Epidemiology of Blastocystis hominis and other intestinal parasites in a Vietnamese female immigrant population in southern Taiwan
AU - Cheng, Hung Shiang
AU - Haung, Zi Fun
AU - Lan, Wuu Hsiang
AU - Kuo, Tsung Cheng
AU - Shin, Jyh Wei
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by the National Science Council, R.O.C. (NSC92-2314-B-006-145). The authors wish to thank Yuan’s General Hospital for collecting all the subject data. Particular appreciation goes to Miss Ming-Lu Huang and Mrs. Mei-Hua Tsai for their valued assistance. The authors would like to state that the experiments comply with the current laws of R.O.C. in which the experiments were performed.
PY - 2006/4
Y1 - 2006/4
N2 - There has been a rapid increase in cross-border female marriage immigrants in Taiwan. In this study, 1,434 Vietnamese female marriage immigrants arriving between July 1998 and June 2001 were examined for intestinal parasites. Most (77.9%) of these women were 20-29 years of age. The prevalence of intestinal parasite infection was 37.7%, and the trend increased from 1999 to 2001 (statistically significant, p < 0.0001), but decreased among age subgroups (p < 0.0001). Among the 20 species of intestinal parasites found in this study, 10 species (27.8%) were transmitted via the fecal-oral route, 5 (14.6%) via the soil-mediated route, and 5 (0.7%) by food-borne infection. The prevalence of blastocystosis (20.4%) and hookworm (9.7%) remained high among this population. The results provide unprecedented information on intestinal parasitic infection among these immigrants in southern Taiwan and recommend that appropriate health care be given after parasite infection is confirmed in these migrant communities.
AB - There has been a rapid increase in cross-border female marriage immigrants in Taiwan. In this study, 1,434 Vietnamese female marriage immigrants arriving between July 1998 and June 2001 were examined for intestinal parasites. Most (77.9%) of these women were 20-29 years of age. The prevalence of intestinal parasite infection was 37.7%, and the trend increased from 1999 to 2001 (statistically significant, p < 0.0001), but decreased among age subgroups (p < 0.0001). Among the 20 species of intestinal parasites found in this study, 10 species (27.8%) were transmitted via the fecal-oral route, 5 (14.6%) via the soil-mediated route, and 5 (0.7%) by food-borne infection. The prevalence of blastocystosis (20.4%) and hookworm (9.7%) remained high among this population. The results provide unprecedented information on intestinal parasitic infection among these immigrants in southern Taiwan and recommend that appropriate health care be given after parasite infection is confirmed in these migrant communities.
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U2 - 10.1016/s1607-551x(09)70302-x
DO - 10.1016/s1607-551x(09)70302-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 16679297
AN - SCOPUS:33646241288
SN - 0257-5655
VL - 22
SP - 166
EP - 170
JO - Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
JF - Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
IS - 4
ER -