Assessing Prevalence of Helminth Infections in Squatters' Camps near Pucallpa, Peru

Soil-transmitted helminths are among the most common pathogens in humans; several of these have an obligate passage in humans, during which human illness occurs. The World Health Organization recommends mass administration of anti-helminthic drugs to populations, “mass de-worming”, as a means to reduce disease and environmental pathogen burdens. At medical clinics offered to squatters' camps near Pucallpa, Peru, by AMOR Projects, a Peruvian NGO, parasitic infections have been diagnosed in about half (46%) of patients (March 2010 data). AMOR Projects plans a mass de-worming in March 2011 in two squatters' camp communities. EVMS will join this effort to assess three measures of parasite burden that could be utilized prospectively for judging whether and when to intervene again with a mass-de-worming in the communities. The three measures are 1) prevalence of symptoms known be caused by helminthic illness, 2) prevalence of the pathogens in feces collected in a population-based manner, and 3) prevalence of the pathogens in feces collected from a convenience patient sample at the medical clinic. Health demographics relating to symptoms of soil-transmitted helminthic infections, along with stool specimen samples for egg/parasite analysis, will be collected from approximately 350 community members. The purpose of this study is to assess markers of the prevalence of the targeted helminths in a population being de-wormed. The markers will provide a baseline for future studies intended to demonstrate whether the mass-de-worming caused a significant reduction in the signs and symptoms associated with, and detected, parasitic infection when future studies are conducted.