Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the intestinal parasitic infection frequency in coproparasitological samples in infants. To compare clinical-epidemiological variables among infants with/without parasitic infection. Subjects and Methods: a descriptive retrospective study was performed in 3,127 coproparasitological samples processed at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (1994-1998) determining frequency and parasitic species. Results: 167 (5.3%) showed parasitic infection, only protozoan, mainly G. lamblia. The most frequent reason for requesting the coproparasitological exam in infants with parasitic infection was diarrhea. Also 84.1% of the infected children were well-nourished and 4.5% with malnutrition. The most frequent reason for requesting the exam in infants without intestinal parasitic infection was failure to thrive and malnutrition. In this group, 68.9% were well-nourished and 24.4% with malnutrition. Conclusions: Presence of enteric protozoan was found in the coproparasitological exams performed in infants (absence of helminths highlights as an important finding). The presence of pathogens protozoan was mainly associated with diarrhea and it was not a major factor related to malnutrition and failure to thrive.