Background:
Soil-transmitted parasites (STPs) are significant intestinal parasites that infect
humans and animals and impose considerable burdens on human society and animal husbandry
industries. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of parasitic elements
of soil samples collected from the north of Iran.
Methods:
A total of 256 soil samples were collected from public parks, public places, vegetable
gardens, sand heaps, and shadow areas near houses in the north of Iran and examined using the
sucrose flotation method.
Results:
Out of 256 examined samples, 131 (51.2%) ones showed parasitic contamination
including larvae (43%), oocysts (14.1%), and different eggs (6.6%). According to the results, the
most and least common parasites observed in the samples were larvae (43%), as well as
Toxascaris leonina, and Trichuris trichiura (0.4%), respectively. Moreover, the most and least
contaminated locations were sand heaps (62.5%) and shadow areas near houses (45.6%),
respectively. Regarding cities, Behshahr (68.3%) and Sari (67.5%) had the highest contaminated
soil samples, whereas Chalus (37.5%) showed the lowest contamination. On the other hand,
rural samples showed more contamination, compared to urban areas (P< 0.05).
Conclusion:
The findings of the present study indicate that the overall prevalence of STPs in
examined areas and highly contaminated soil samples can be considered as a potential source of
human contamination particularly tourists with STPs.
