PREVALENCE OF ENTERAL PARASITISM AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE IN ADULTS IN CAMETÁ, PARÁ, BRAZIL

Abstract

The prevalence of enteral parasitism in adults was analyzed, as well as their hematological and biochemical profiles. It is a prospective, quantitative and cross-sectional study. A total of 76 samples of parasitological, hemogram and biochemical tests from adults between 18 and 65 years old, living in Cametá Couty, Brazil, were collected. At 18 samples (23.68%), no infection by parasites was detected, while 58 (76.31%) showed infection by helminths and/or protozoa. The affected samples presented a slight decrease in the levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, HCM, while an increase of leucocytes and segmented cells was observed. However, statistically, such result was not significant when related to the parasite presence. Concerning the biochemical parameters, there were no significant differences between the control group (n = 18) and the positive participants (n = 58), although a significant increase in triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL (p<0.0001) levels of positive versus negative subjects may be noted. Among 58 positive samples, 40 were infected by one, and 18 by two or more parasites. Regardless of the number of parasites, only biochemical changes were observed, suggesting that the parasite uses plasma lipoproteins from the infected organism as lipid carriers, to promote an acute phase response.