Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites and Social-Environmental Aspects in an Indigenous Community in the Iauaret?? District, Municipality of S??o Gabriel da Cachoeira (State of Amazonas), Brazil

Situado em Terra Ind??gena do Alto Rio Negro, Iauaret?? ?? o segundo maior p??lo de concentra????o humana no munic??pio de S??o Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM) e agrega dez vilas, com 15 etnias. Esse distrito ind??gena vem sofrendo processo de transforma????o progressiva de padr??o de ocupa????o disperso e ribeirinho para n??cleo com fei????es urbanas, com aproximadamente 2700 habitantes, desencadeando problemas de sa??de p??blica. Com objetivo de investigar a distribui????o de preval??ncias de parasitos intestinais na popula????o local e discutir a rela????o desse indicador de sa??de com aspectos socioambientais no distrito de Iauaret??, foram realizadas an??lises da qualidade da ??gua de abastecimento e exames parasitol??gicos em amostras de fezes e solo. Do total de amostras de ??gua analisadas, 89,2% apresentaram resultado positivo para coliformes termotolerantes. Identificou-se que a vila Dom Bosco foi a que apresentou maior ??ndice de preval??ncia em amostras fecais com 76% dos indiv??duos parasitados. A vila S??o Jos?? apresentou o menor ??ndice com 56%. Os parasitos mais prevalentes em amostras fecais positivas foram, em ordem decrescente, Ascaris lumbric??ides (64,84%), Entamoeba coli (32,58%), Endolimax nana (14,84%) e Blastoyistis hominis (13,39%). Em amostras de solo as preval??ncias mais significativas foram de ovos de Ascaris sp (52,6%), cistos de Entamoeba coli (52,6%) e larvas de ancilostom??deos (52,6%). Concluiuse que os altos ??ndices de parasitoses intestinais na popula????o, aliados ?? falta de saneamento b??sico e ?? manuten????o de pr??ticas sanit??rias tradicionais constituem um quadro preocupante em sa??de p??blica.The Iauaret?? District is the second largest human concentration centre in the municipality of S??o Gabriel da Cachoeira, state of Amazonas. Situated in Alto Rio Negro Indigenous Land, on the border between Brazil and Colombia, Iauaret?? aggregates ten villages, encompassing 15 ethnic cultures. This indigenous district has been undergoing a process of progressive transformation from a disperse and riparian occupation pattern into a settlement with urban features, with approximately 2,700 inhabitants, triggering public health problems. Aiming to investigate the distribution of the prevalence of intestinal parasites in the local population and to discuss the relation between this health indicator and socio-environmental aspects in the Iauaret?? district, the quality of the drinking water was analyzed and parasitological exams of excreta and soil samples were conducted. Of the total of analyzed water samples, 89.2% showed positive result for thermotolerant coliforms. The Dom Bosco village was the one presenting the highest prevalence index in excreta samples, with 76% of the individuals infested. The S??o Jos?? village presented the lowest index (56%). The most prevalent parasites were, in decreasing order: Ascaris lumbricoides (64.84%), Entamoeba coli (32.58%), Endolimax nana (14.84%), and Blastoyistis hominis (13.39%). The most significant prevalences of parasites in soil samples were Ascaris sp eggs (52.6%), Entamoeba coli cysts (52.6%) and hookworms larvae (52.6%). In conclusion, high indexes of intestinal parasitism in the population, together with lack of basic sanitation and maintenance of traditional sanitary practices are matters of concern in the public health area