janan.mohammed@uod.ac 05 INTESTINAL PARASITES AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN DUHOK CITY-KURDISTAN REGION/IRAQ JANAN MOHAMMED SALIH, AYMAN OTHMAN HASSAN and ADEL TALIB MOHAMMED AL-SAEED Dept. of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region-Iraq (Received: April 26, 2022; Accepted for Publication: July 24, 2022) ABSTRACT Background: The present study was carried out during the period from October 2021 until March 2022, to deretr rpe hteteete of parasites in stool samples of primary school children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 1172 diarrheic stool specimens were randomly collected from primary school children of both sexes and different ages (6-12 years) visited Azadi Teaching Hospital, Heevi Pediatric Hospital, and Kurdistan private (Maternity and Pediatric) Hospital in Duhok city. RESULTS: In the current study, 40.96% (480/1172) of the examined specimens were positive for parasitic stages, they included 56.67% (272) males and 43.33% (208) females. High prevalence (40%) of intestinal parasites was reported among the age group 6-7 years. The recorded intestinal parasitic species included: Entamoeba histolytica which was the most dominant intestinal protozoa with infection rate of 21.67% (254/1172), followed by Enterobius vermicularis 13.48% (158/1172), then Giardia lamblia of about 5.46% (64/1172) , while Blastocystis hominis was reported only in four children at a rate of 0.34% (1172). As regards to some sociodemographic factors, significant correlations ( P <0.05) were observed between the rates of infection with intestinal parasites and residency, dirty fingers and family size. While regarding other factors such as, literacy, hand washing and having pets the correlations were non-significant (P >0.05). KEYWORDS: Intestinal parasites, Protozoa, Helminths, children, Sociodemographic factors, Duhok INTRODUCTION lobally, it is estimated that about 3.5 billion people are affected with intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs), most of them are children (1). The high prevalence of IPIs in children are associated with low socioeconomic status, poor hygienic habits, unsanitary waste disposal, poor medical care, unsafe drinking water supplies, poor nutritional status, and very poor literacy rate (2). Frequent infection of children with intestinal parasites may result in malnutrition, growth retardation, physical weakness, poor performance of children especially those at primary school age (3). The majority of IPIs morbidity and mortality are caused by amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery) which occurs in both developed and under- developed countries. Entamoeba histolytica infects about 500 million individuals/year, causing disease in 50 million and ultimately resulting in 100,000 deaths/year (4,5). Similarly, Giardia lamblia, a common causative agent of diarrhea, affects about 200 million individuals worldwide (3). While infection with helminths lead to nutritional deficiency and impaired physical development, which lead to negative consequences on cognitive function and learning ability (6,7). In addition to these, maternal, child health and worker productivity can also be affected by infection with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). Studies indicated that even moderate infection may have adverse effects on growth, iron deficiency anemia, and cognitive functions of school-age children (8). The epidemiology of infections with intestinal parasites shows that these parasites can infect human at all ages. However, the incidences are higher in certain specific areas, while some age groups are affected to a greater extent (7). Studies carried out in different areas worldwide showed that the circumstances of each individual involve the overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections, and children are the victims (8). In addition to protozoa, among helminths, it is reported that hookworms constitute about one-third of the neglected tropical diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. More than 90% of the 207 million cases of Schistosoma infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the highest prevalence occurred among children at primary school age and G https://doi.org/10.26682/sjuod.2022.25.2.5 Journal of University of Duhok., Vol. 25, No.2 (Pure Engineering Sciences), Pp 50-56, 2022