Intestinal parasites, growth and physical fitness of schoolchildren in poor neighbourhoods of Port Elizabeth, South Africa: a cross-sectional survey

Autor: Cheryl Walter, Christian Schindler, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Markus Gerber, Uwe Pühse, Peter Steinmann, Nan Shwe Nwe Htun, Jürg Utzinger, Harald Seelig, Peiling Yap, Rosa du Randt, Bruce P. Damons, Ivan Müller
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Male
Veterinary medicine
Cross-sectional study
Physical fitness
Helminthiasis
medicine.disease_cause
Intestinal polyparasitism
Body Mass Index
Feces
Soil
South Africa
0302 clinical medicine
Poverty Areas
030212 general & internal medicine
Intestinal Diseases
Parasitic
Child
2. Zero hunger
Coinfection
Soil-transmitted helminths
VO2 max
3. Good health
Infectious Diseases
Female
Haemoglobin
Ascaris lumbricoides
Anthropometric indicators
030231 tropical medicine
Intestinal parasite
Biology
Helicobacter Infections
03 medical and health sciences
parasitic diseases
medicine
Humans
Students
Intestinal protozoa
Protozoan Infections
Helicobacter pylori
business.industry
Research
Body Weight
Anthropometry
biology.organism_classification
Body Height
Cross-Sectional Studies
Trichuris trichiura
Parasitology
business
Body mass index
Demography
Zdroj: Parasites & Vectors
Parasites and Vectors
Popis: Background As traditional lifestyle and diets change with social and economic development, disadvantaged communities in low- and middle-income countries increasingly face a double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. We studied the relationship between physical fitness and infections with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), intestinal protozoa and Helicobacter pylori among schoolchildren in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1009 children, aged 9 to 12 years, from eight primary schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Port Elizabeth. Physical fitness was determined using field-deployable tests of the Eurofit fitness test battery. Stool samples were analysed with the Kato-Katz thick smear technique to diagnose STHs and with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to detect intestinal protozoa and H. pylori infections. Haemoglobin (Hb) levels were assessed and anthropometric indicators determined. Results Complete data were available for 934 children (92 %). In two schools, high STH prevalences were found (Ascaris lumbricoides 60 and 72 %; Trichuris trichiura 65 % each). For boys and girls co-infected with A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura (n = 155) the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) was estimated to be 50.1 and 47.2 ml kg-1 min-1, compared to 51.5 and 47.4 ml kg-1 min-1 for their non-infected peers (n = 278), respectively. On average, children without helminth infections had greater body mass (P = 0.011), height (P = 0.009) and a higher body mass index (P = 0.024) and were less often stunted (P = 0.006), but not significantly less wasted compared to their peers with a single or dual species infection. Among 9-year-old boys, a negative correlation between helminth infections and VO2 max, grip strength and standing broad jump distance was observed (P = 0.038). The overall mean Hb level was 122.2 g l-1. In the two schools with the highest prevalence of STHs the Hb means were 119.7 and 120.5 g l-1, respectively. Conclusions Intestinal parasite infections appear to have a small but significant negative effect on the physical fitness of infected children, as expressed by their maximal oxygen uptake. We observed a clear impact on anthropometric indicators. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1761-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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