[Gastrointestinal and urinary parasitic infection in children at a regional hospital center in Togo: some epidemiological aspects].

To determine the impact of parasitic infection of the digestive and urinary tract in children living in a rural area of Togo, a retrospective study was conducted in a Pediatric Department of Kara, Togo. Results revealed that 35% of the 1610 children between the ages of 0 and 16 years had positive tests for parasites in stools or urine and that 117 had more than one parasite. Trichomonas intestinalis, Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni and Necator americanus accounted for 86.5% of the parasitic infections observed. Parasitic infection was observed during the neonatal period and its incidence increased in males up to the age of 12 years and during the rainy months of the year. Study of associated diseases indicated that 56% of children with parasites also had malaria and that 47% were anemic. Parasitic infection of the digestive and/or urinary tract was noted in 31.8% of children under the age of 5 years with malnutrition.