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Objectives: To assess the current prevalences of nutritional status and intestinal parasites, and their potential association with socio‐environmental conditions among schoolchildren in Aristóbulo del Valle, Misiones. Methods: We measured body weight and height in 444 schoolchildren aged 3–14 years and evaluated their nutritional status following WHO criteria. We examined fecal samples and anal swabs from 234 schoolchildren and collected socio‐environmental data through questionnaires. Results: The prevalence of undernutrition was 4.5% and excess of weight was 24.1%. The prevalence of stunting and of being overweight reached 2.3% and 12.4%, respectively. About 42% of the schoolchildren were infected with at least one of the 12 species identified. The most prevalent species were Blastocystis sp., Enterobius vermicularis, and Giardia lamblia. Entamoeba dispar was recorded for the first time in the locality. The multiple correspondence analysis identified peri‐urban, urban, and rural groups. Underweight, stunting and obesity were highest in the peri‐urban group, while overweight, wasting and parasitism rates were highest in the rural group. The urban group showed the lowest parasitic prevalences. Bed‐sharing, mother's education, and animal husbandry were associated with parasitic infections. Conclusions: The study highlights a decrease in undernutrition but a rise in overweight and obesity, indicating an ongoing nutritional transition. The association between socio‐environmental risk factors and parasitic infections underscore the need for comprehensive interventions addressing both nutritional and socio‐environmental conditions to improve the population's life quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entamoeba infections occur worldwide, with higher frequency in countries of low socioeconomic status and poor public health. Since Entamoeba histolytica has long been recognized as the only pathogenic species, making a differential diagnosis of other morphologically identical Entamoeba is important. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Entamoeba species in two populations from Argentina, make a differential diagnosis by PCR and characterize Entamoeba isolates at the SSU rRNA gene. A total of 493 serial fecal samples were obtained from individuals in the provinces of Buenos Aires (n=210) and Misiones (n=283). Samples were examined by conventional methods (formalin-ethyl acetate and Willis flotation) and specific PCRs to differentiate Entamoeba species. Entamoeba isolates were characterized by sequencing a fragment of the SSU rRNA gene. The overall prevalence of Entamoeba infection was 12.4%, being more prevalent in Buenos Aires than in Misiones (14.8% vs. 10.6%). A case of E. histolytica confirmed by PCR and sequence analysis was reported for the first time in Buenos Aires. Moreover, new genetic data on Entamoeba coli and Entamoeba dispar were recorded. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a congruence between morphological characteristics and SSU rRNA gene sequences. This study increases the amount of information on the distribution of these species in Argentina and the region of the Americas., (Copyright © 2023 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)