الفهرس 
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Abstract
Around the globe, intestinal parasitic infections are related to children morbidity and mortality due to their association with anemia, malnutrition, development and growth variations. The key factors of such conditions are poor education and poverty. In Egypt, despite several years of successful preventive campaigns, intestinal parasitic infections remain a public health problem among children in some rural settings. Massive therapeutic programs were engaged by the Ministry of Health to reduce IPIs incidence. Aside from intestinal schistosomiasis, mebendazole is one of the most used treatments for intestinal parasitosis due to its effectiveness and safety. Nowadays, nitazoxanide, a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug and structurally like nitrobenzamide is produced.
The aim of this work was to study the effect of nitazoxanide on helminthes and protozoan parasites among school children in Bangar El-Sokar village. Due to the low intestinal parasitic infections in Bangar El-Sokar village, the present study was conducted in two primary schools (Kafr Azaz School and Sedki School) in Abu Homos, Beheira governorate. After obtaining the authority approvals and the parent’s consent, 340 children from the 2nd to the 6th grade, whose ages ranged from 6-13 years agreed to participate in the present study by submitting stool samples. All collected stool samples were tested both by the Kato-Katz technique to detect ova of helminthes and formalin ether sedimentation to detect parasitic cysts and ova. The obtained sediment after the formalin ether technique was stained by modified Ziehl-Neelsen and examined microscopically under an oil immersion lens for oocysts. Each positive child received 200 mg of nitazoxanide for 3 consecutive days and after 14 days they were asked to resubmit stool samples which were examined as previously mentioned above.
Out of the 340 examined children, the overall prevalence of different helminthes and protozoa infections among the examined school children was 41.8%. The prevalence of helminthes was 9.7% which was lower than protozoan infections (32%). Regarding helminthic infections, the highest prevalence rate was presented by E. vermicularis 4.4% followed by H. nana 3.8%. S. mansoni and A. lumbricoides showed the lowest percentage; 0.9% and 0.6% respectively. As for protozoa, Blastocystis spp. disclosed the highest prevalence (11.5%) followed by G. lamblia (10.6%), E. histolytica (7.6%). D. fragilis and Cryptosporidium spp. showed the least prevalence (1.8% and 0.6% respectively).
Regarding the demographic data, the highest prevalence rate was observed among the children in the age group of 6-<9 years (54.23%) and a lower prevalence was observed among the age of 9-<11 and 11-13years (34.6, 47.5% respectively) with statistically significant with p <0.05. Regarding gender, a higher percentage of infection was observed among girls compared to boys (44.6 % versus 41.1%). Yet there was no statistical difference regarding gender.
After 14 days of nitazoxanide treatment, a total nitazoxanide cure rate of 81.8% in helminth infected individuals was observed. Nitazoxanide showed a 100 % cure rate in H. nana and A. lumbricoides infections. While children infected with E. vermicularis showed 80% cure rate. Nitazoxanide failed to treat S. mansoni among infected children.
Among protozoa infected children, the nitazoxanide cure rate was 88%. Nitazoxanide treated all children infected with D. fragilis and Cryptosporidium spp. with 100% cure rate, while 91.7% and 87.2% of children infected with G. lamblia and B. hominis turned negative after treatment. Thus, the obtained cure rates of helminths and protozoa acknowledge nitazoxanide as an alternative safe treatment for intestinal parasitosis.