Contamination des sols de dix écoles (primaires et maternelles) par les œufs de géo-helminthes, les kystes et ookystes de protozoaires dans la ville Dschang

CaHReF 20116, Yaoundé Conges hall, 23 – 26 August 2016 , PL052

Soil transmitted intestinal parasite infections constitute a great public health problem. The aim of the present study was to determine the rate of contamination of soil collected in 10 schools (primary and nursery) in the Dschang (West Region of Cameroon) town by geohelminth eggs, cysts and oocysts of protozoans to assess the risk of school-age children infection. The analysis of the soil samples was carried out jointly in the Laboratory of Biology and Applied Ecology (LABEA) of the Faculty of Science of the University of Dschang and the Laboratory of Soil Science, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA). Between August 2014 and February 2015, a total of 400 soil samples were collected around latrines, playgrounds, behind classrooms and examined using the sucrose flotation method. After analysis, neither cysts nor oocysts of protozoans were detected while 31 samples were contaminated by nematode eggs, yielding a contamination rate of 7.8%. Based on the morphology of the eggs, the identified nematodes were: Ascaris spp. (3.5%), Trichuris spp. (2%), Capillaria spp. (1.5%), Cooperia spp. (0.5%) and ankylostomes (0.25 %). The soil contamination rates were 3% and 12.5% and the most common eggs encountered were those of Ascaris spp. with rates of 2% and 5% in the dry and rainy seasons respectively. Furthermore, it was noticed that, the rate of soil sample contamination was in relation to the sampling points. Thus, soils surrounding latrines were more contaminated (11.9%) as compared to those collected behind classrooms (7.5%) and those of the playground (2.5%). Based on the above, and with respect to the molecular confirmation, in a nearby future that eggs of Ascaris spp. and Trichuris spp. identified in this study could belong to the human species and considering the fact that others (Capillaria spp. and Cooperia spp.) are not responsible for zoonotic infection, it appears that latrine surroundings and the back of classrooms are favorable sites for the contamination of pupils. Spread of sanitary education, enforcement of basic rules of hygiene and deworming remain a necessity in the entire population of the study area in general and the schools in particular in order to

Infection risks, school-age children, soil, geohelminths, protozoans