[Intestinal parasitosis in French West Indies: endemic evolution from 1991 to 2003 in the University Hospital of Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe].

Guadeloupe is one of the French West Indies, where, until 1960, intestinal parasitic infections were endemic. In the microbiological laboratory of the university hospital of the island, we carried out a retrospective study of the 17,660 stool examinations received from 1991 to 2003. All the stool specimens were examined using at least a wet mount preparation and a concentration method (Bailenger). Specific techniques such as Ziehl-Neelsen modified acid fast stain, chromotrope staining procedure or Baermann's technique were used when indicated. A parasite considered as really pathogenic is detected in only 5.6% of the cases of the 17,660 stool examinations. The intestinal protozoa count for 10.8% of them, G. intestinalis (60%) is the most common, followed by Cryptosporidium sp (26%) and Isospora belli in AIDS patients while Entamoeba histolytica/dispar rarely appears (2.3%). Among the parasitic intestinal helminths, Strongyloïdes stercoralis is seen as the most prevalent (82%) whereas hookworms and Trichuris trichuria count respectively for 9.8% and 5.6%. Schistosoma mansoni appears as an exception. This epidemiological change for intestinal parasitic infections results from the improvement of socio-economic and sanitary way of living of the population. However the persistence of the strongyloidiasis constitutes the outstanding fact in a area of strong prevalence of the HTLV1 infection.