Intestinal parasite infections in Serbia: Changes over forty years

Abstract

To assess the effects of the measures undertaken to control intestinal parasite infections over the past decades, the results of initial investigations involving 45 settlements in 9 regions throughout Serbia were compared with the ones repeated forty years later in the same areas. Analysis of the results of these studies shows that both the number of species and the infection rates significantly (P lt 0.001) decreased. While in the initial studies an infection rate of above 50% was found for as many as five species in 40 settlements, in the repeated study such an infection rate was found for a single species in a single settlement. The influence of rural vs. urban environment occurred in both studies for all parasites (P lt 0.01), except for Giardia. Therefore, control measures should be continued to achieve the ultimate goal of eradication of intestinal parasite infections.