DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jkli.87739

Intestinal Parasites in Cockroaches and Houseflies and Household Stool Positivity in Labuhan Deli Indonesia

1Parasitology Department of Medical Faculty, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

2Parasitology Department, Medical Faculty, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

3Tropical Medicine Study Program, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

4 Parasitology Department, Medical Faculty, Universitas HKBP Nommensen, Indonesia

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Open Access Copyright 2026 Jurnal Kesehatan Lingkungan Indonesia under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.

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Abstract

Latar belakang: Deteksi parasit pada serangga tidak langsung membuktikan penularan kepada manusia. Penelitian ini menilai kontaminasi parasit pada kecoa dan lalat serta hubungannya dengan positivitas tinja rumah tangga.

Metode: Penelitian potong lintang dilakukan pada 100 rumah tangga di Kecamatan Labuhan Deli, Sumatera Utara, pada 2022. Kriteria meliputi lama tinggal ≥1 tahun dan riwayat gangguan gastrointestinal keluarga dalam setahun terakhir. Tinja diperiksa dengan sediaan langsung dan sedimentasi formalin–eter; endapan pencucian serangga diperiksa secara mikroskopis. Rumah dinyatakan positif jika ≥1 penghuni yang diperiksa positif. Analisis menggunakan rasio prevalensi (PR), interval kepercayaan (IK) 95% logaritmik, dan uji Fisher dua sisi.

Hasil: Sebanyak 81 rumah tangga (81%) positif helminth dan 71 (71%) positif protozoa. Serangga teridentifikasi sebagai Periplaneta americana dan Musca domestica. Kecoa memiliki empat taksa helminth dan lima protozoa; lalat masing-masing tiga. Positivitas parasit kecoa berasosiasi dengan positivitas protozoa rumah tangga (PR 1,57; IK 95% 1,18–2,09; p=0,001) dan helminth (PR 1,53; IK 95% 1,22–1,92; p<0,001). Estimasi lalat tidak presisi karena hanya dua rumah memiliki sampel lalat positif parasit.

Simpulan: Kontaminasi parasit kecoa berasosiasi dengan positivitas tinja rumah tangga dalam sampel terseleksi ini. Desain potong lintang dan mikroskopi tidak menetapkan viabilitas atau arah penularan. Perbaikan sanitasi dan pengendalian serangga merupakan implikasi kesehatan lingkungan; efektivitasnya tidak diuji.

ABSTRACT

Background: Parasite detection on insects does not establish transmission to humans. This study examined cockroach and housefly contamination and its association with household stool positivity.

Methods: A cross-sectional study included 100 households in Labuhan Deli District, North Sumatra, in 2022. Eligibility required residence ≥1 year and recent family gastrointestinal illness. Stool specimens underwent direct microscopy and formalin–ether sedimentation; insect-wash sediments were examined microscopically. A household was positive if ≥1 examined resident tested positive. Analyses used prevalence ratios (PRs), approximate log-based 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and two-sided Fisher exact tests.

Results: Helminths and protozoa were detected in 81 (81%) and 71 (71%) households, respectively. The insects were Periplaneta americana and Musca domestica. Cockroaches yielded four helminth and five protozoan taxa; houseflies yielded three of each. Cockroach parasite positivity was associated with household protozoan positivity (PR 1.57; 95% CI 1.18–2.09; p=0.001) and helminth positivity (PR 1.53; 95% CI 1.22–1.92; p<0.001). Housefly estimates were imprecise because only two households had parasite-positive fly samples.

Conclusion: Cockroach contamination was associated with household stool positivity in this selected sample. Cross-sectional microscopy does not establish viability or transmission direction. Sanitation and insect control are environmental-health implications; their effectiveness was not evaluated.

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Keywords: Sanitation; Cockroaches; Flies; Protozoa; Helminth

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Section: Research Articles
Language : ID
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