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Abstract Background Blastocystis has been described as the most common intestinal parasite in humans and has an increased impact on public health. However, the transmission of this parasite has not been conclusively determined. Methods To contribute to a better comprehension of the epidemiology of this infection, a cross-sectional survey aimed at providing the first documented data on the prevalence and risk factors associated with Blastocystis infection was carried out among three Orang Asli tribes (Proto-Malay, Negrito and Senoi) in selected villages at Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. Faecal samples were examined by formalin-ether sedimentation and trichrome staining techniques. Results Of 500 individuals, 20.4% (102) were detected positive for Blastocystis; 13.3% (20/150) of Proto-Malays, 21.6% (30/139) of Negritos and 24.7% (52/211) of Senois were positive for Blastocystis, respectively. The positive cases showed a decrease with increasing age and most of the positive cases were observed in individuals less than 15 years old. Multivariate analysis confirmed that drinking untreated water and the presence of other family members infected with Blastocystis were significant risk factors of infection among the three tribes and overall population studied. Conclusion Essentially, the findings highlighted that Blastocystis infection is prevalent among Orang Asli communities in Malaysia. Further studies using molecular approaches to distinguish the subtype of Blastocystis is needed. The present study also revealed that this infection may be transmitted through waterborne and human-to-human contact. Therefore, interventions with the provision of clean water supply for the communities and health education especially to the parents are urgently required.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of malnutrition in children living in endemic areas of soil-transmitted helminthes. Methods: An observational study was carried out on 281 Orang Asli children aged 2-15 years in eight villages in Selangor, Malaysia. Assessment was carried out using anthropometric measurements and examination of blood and faecal samples.The Z-score for weight-for-height was used to denote underweight as an overall indicator of malnutrition. Height-for-age Z-score was used as an indicator for stunting while weight-for-height Z-score for wasting. Faecal samples were collected and screened for soil-transmitted helminthiasis using Kato-Katz technique. Albumin estimation was carried out on blood samples using standard technique. Results: The overall prevalence of mild and significant underweight was 32.1% and 56.5% respectively. The prevalence of mild stunting was 25.6% while another 61.3% had significant stunting. The overall prevalence of mild and significant wasting was 39.0% and 19.5% respectively. The mean albumin level was 44.81 ± 5.75 g/L and 28.0% of the children with albumin level below 35 g/L. The overall prevalence of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection were 61.9%, 98.2% and 37.0% respectively and of these 19.0%, 26.0% and 3.0% of the children have severe infection of the respective worms. Conclusion: Thus, the high prevalence of malnutrition in these children due to severe infection of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection could not be ruled out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]