Prevalence of Ascaris Lumbricoides Infection in a Small Nova Scotian Community

Abstract

A survey of Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence was conducted during 1976 and 1977 in a rural community of Nova Scotia. Of 431 individuals tested, 121 (28.1%) were infected. All those infected were under 20 years of age. There was no difference in the rate of infection between households with pigsties and those without. A significantly higher prevalence rate was found in homes where feces were disposed of in the yard and water was obtained from a dug well. In a concurrent random survey taken in the Halifax metropolitan area, none of the 276 individuals tested was infected.