2819932370 wrote:
>> I'm hoping someone here can provide me with some information or
> direction. My daughter has just been diagnosed as infected with
> diantamoeba parasites - and I have spent hours trying to find
> information on the web with no luck. If you have information regarding
> possible sources of infection, treatment options, how easily transmitted
> it is, etc., please respond here or e-mail me at hobbit427 at hotmail.com.> Thank you for your help.
Dientamoeba fragilis is a protozoan parasite which is found in
approximately 2 to 3% of the population. Most persons infected are
children and women with contact with children, adults infected usually
have jobs in daycare or preschool settings. The infection is transmitted
with the help of another parasitic organism, the human pinworm,
Enterobius vermicularis. It is thought that D. fragilis is transmitted
within the egg of the pinworm. Pinworm infections are extremely common
in children, it is thought that approximately 1/3 of persons in the
United States will get pinworm infections during their lifetimes, either
as a child or from a child they are caring for. About 80% of those
infected with D. fragilis will become ill with diarrhea. Drugs such as
diiodohydroxyguin or tetracycline can be perscribed by a physcian to
treat the infection. Prevention is centered on the near impossible task
of preventing pinworm infections. Preventitive measures against
transmission of pinworm, include frequent handwashing, frequent changing
and laundering of bedding, night clothing and underwear. Frequent
bathing, preferably by showering and more handwashing. Pinworms lay eggs
on the skin around the anus at night and these eggs are shed into
clothing, bedding and the general environment. A child (or adult)
scratching themselves in their sleep or while awake will cover their
hands with the microscopic eggs and spread them everywhere! In the
preschool-kindergarten environment it has proven impossible to prevent
the spread of pinworms.
