PARASITIC INFECTIONS IN VILLAGERS FROM 3 DISTRICTS OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

A survey of intestinal parasites among 827 rural villagers in the Braz ilian Amazon revealed that the prevalences of infection with Necator a mericanus, Trichuris trichiura and/or Ascaris lumbricoides were high. However, the intensities of infection with the two parasites for which there were enough data on intensity for further analysis, N. american us and T. trichiura, were only low or moderate in each of the three di stricts studied. Possible reasons for the unusual (but not unique) abs ence of high intensities include moderately good sanitation, low popul ation densities, the way in which work activities are located geograph ically, the use of indigenous anthelmintics and the geographical isola tion of the communities which provided the subjects. Whether the light to moderate levels of infection observed require intervention is disc ussed.