Intestinal Parasitic Infection Detected by Stool Examination in Foreign Laborers in Kaohsiung

Most foreign laborers in Taiwan come from Southeast Asia, where public health is not as well funded as in Taiwan, and parasitic infections are still common. Therefore, we recruited foreign laborers to undergo examination for parasitic infection to determine the infection conditions and follow-up conditions in foreign laborers whose stools were found to be abnormal. A total of 7,360 foreign laborers were enrolled for stool examination in our hospital, and the merthiolate iodine formaldehyde method was used to diagnose intestinal parasite infection. In total, 331 (4.5%) foreign laborers were found to be infected, and Blastocystis hominis was identified as the most prevalent intestinal parasite (2.54%), followed by Trichuris trichiura (0.54%) and hookworm (0.53%). Parasite infection rates among laborers of different nationalities were also significantly different (p < 0.001). Forty-two intestinal-parasite-infected foreign laborers received anti-parasitic therapy in our hospital, and treatment was successful. Among the 154 intestinal-parasite-infected foreign laborers who did not receive treatment in our hospital but were later re-examined, 132 were parasite-free. B. hominis has been the most prevalent intestinal parasite infecting foreign laborers in Taiwan ever since it was added to the list of infections to be screened for stool examination by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control in 2002. It is important to closely monitor, control and treat parasite-infected foreign laborers to minimize the danger to public health.

Key Words:  foreign laborers , intestinal parasites , stool examination

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