The Effect of Giardia lamblia Infection during  the Partial Ban Period due to COVID-19 on  Micronutrients among Children in Babylon  Province, Iraq

Sarmad  Jassem Mohammed; Sarah Kamil abbood; Abd  Ali Abiess

Sarmad Jassem Mohammed Medical Laboratory Techniques Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Babil, Iraq.
Sarah Kamil abbood Medical Laboratory Techniques Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Babil, Iraq.
Abd Ali Abiess Medical Laboratory Techniques Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Babil, Iraq.

Keywords: Giardia Lamblia, Children, Zinc, Copper

Abstract

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite and the cause of animportant unresolved health problem in developing countries, as it is related to poor sanitation and management of supplied water, a problem that is exacerbated by the absence of a simple reliable diagnostic test. The present study aimed to determine the impact of Giardialamblia infection on micronutrients in the seraof patients. All stool samples (50) were collected from patients (aged 2 months-14 years) who were suffering from diarrhoea or bloody diarrhoea and had visited hospitals and medical centres in Babylon governorate. The samples were examined by the direct smear method. 14 (28%) faecal samples had G. lamblia and 36 (72%) had some other infection. On the basis of microscopic examination, the result of the current study showed that the highest prevalence (52.6%) of the infection was among patients < 1 year of age and the age group of 1-5 years showed a prevalence of 16.5% based on microscope examination. Blood samples were collected from the patientand control groups to estimate zinc and copper levelsby using the spectrophotometer technique. The results revealed that the levels of zinc in serum were significantly decreased (p = 0.000) and those of copper were significantly increased in patients infected with G. lamblia as compared with the control group.

How to cite this article:
Mohammed SJ, Abbood SK, Abies AA. The Effect of Giardia lamblia Infection during the Partial Ban Period due to COVID-19 on Micronutrients among Children in Babylon Province, Iraq. J Commun Dis. 2022;54(2):83-88.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202275

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