Giardia carriage in aboriginal and non-aboriginal children attending urban day-care centres in South Australia.
A survey of Giardia lamblia prevalence was carried out in Adelaide, South Australia, among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children attending day-care centres. A single-stool examination in 178 children aged 6 years and under revealed an overall prevalence rate of 10.7% with all carriers being 1-4 years of age. Within this age group, Giardia prevalence among Aboriginal children (11/32) was significantly higher than that among non-Aboriginal children (eight of 99) (Chi-square analysis, P less than 0.001). Furthermore, among Aboriginal children, a significant association (P less than 0.05) was found between giardia carriage and the family's contact with rural Aboriginal settlements or people from these areas. Aboriginal children with no rural contact had a giardia prevalence similar to non-Aboriginal children.