Prevalence of Giardia intestinalis lamblia among children with allergies from Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Abstract number: P980

Suvorova M., Tarasova E., Kazennova E., Rodionova N., Al-Shehadat R.

Odjectives: The percentage of allergic children in Russian megalopolis is increasing each year. It's considered that about 70% of children in Saint-Petersburg have various kinds of allergies.. From the previous studies we see that there are certain association between the Giardia intestinalis detection in stool specimens and clinical manifestations of allergies. In Saint-Petersburg 43–45% of children with allergy symptoms from atopic dermatitis to bronchial asthma were infected with Giardia intestinalis. However the possibility that allergies might be associated with other parasites (Ascaris lumbricosis, Eterobius vermicularis, Trichinella spiralis, Dirofilaria immitis) was not investigated. Therefore the goal of this study is to find connections between allergy symptoms, Giardia intestinalis and helminthes.

Materials and Methods: 40 children under 12 years old with allergy were involved in this study. 20 of them were positive for Giardia intestinalis and 20 were negative. For Giardia intestinalis detection we used traditional microscopy and PCR.

Feaces from all children were examined by PCR and microscopy for helminthes identification.

DNA from faeces were extracted with ``DNA-express'' kit (Lytech, Russia). PCR was performed with specific primers, and detected by gel-electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose.

Result: In all 40 cases microscopy analysis was negative for helminthes and for Giardia intestinalis. Patients with G. intestinalis group have been tested positive by PCR at least twice.

In G. intestinalis positive group (20 children) 6 patients were detected with T. spiralis (30%), 5 with A. lumbricosis (25%), three cases with D. immitis (15%) and 2 cases with E. vermicularis (10%).

In G. intestinalis negative group (20 children) one was detected with T. spiralis (5%), 3 –D. immitis (15%). A. lumbricosis and E. vermicularis were not detected.

Conclusion:

1Children infected with Giardia intestinalis are more predisposed to helminthes contamination.

2Prevalence of Trichinella spiralis, Ascaris lumbricosis, Dirofilaria immitis, Eterobius vermicularis among allergic children was high.

3The only helmint that was found in same percentage from both groups of children was Dirofilaria immitis. The only helminthes that is not transmitted through the intestinal tract.