Técnicas de diagnóstico de parasitas intestinais no Laboratório de Parasitologia Molecular do Instituto Nacional de Saúde, período de Junho à Dezembro de 2023

Abstract

Intestinal parasites are infections caused by protozoa or helminths that present at least one phase of their life cycle within the human gastrointestinal tract, which may or may not cause disease. This report presents the activities carried out during the internship for graduation, lasting 420 working hours, and aimed to describe the Laboratory Diagnostic Techniques for Intestinal Infections at the Molecular Parasitology Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (INS). The internship ran from June to December 2023 for six months, with a daily workload of eight hours (8h), a weekly workload of forty hours (40h), and a total workload of four hundred and twenty hours (420h). The samples received at the Molecular Parasitology Laboratory of the National Institute of Health came from the Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Center, Maputo Central Hospital, and José Macamo General Hospital. A total of 113 samples were received at the laboratory, of which 25 were blood samples and 88 were stool samples. These samples were subsequently processed using the Kato-Katz, Ritchie, and Ziehl-Neelsen techniques. Malaria and anemia tests were also performed on each patient whose samples were collected to assess the occurrence of geohelminths in pregnant women in the districts of Katembe and Moamba, Maputo Province. The internship allowed me to learn much more about practical knowledge and combine it with the theory acquired throughout the course. I acquired technical and professional skills, and I was able to develop the ability to perform tasks and adapt to teamwork.