Intestinal parasitic infections in Polish soldiers deployed to Kosovo

Abstract

Soldiers of the Polish Military Contingents currently stationed in foreign countries serve under difficult environmental conditions. Military service abroad is associated with the risk of importing infectious pathogens back to soldiers’ home country. The aim of the study was to assess the current prevalence of infections caused by intestinal parasites in soldiers from the Polish Military Contingent Kosovo serving as part of the Kosovo Force operation in the Balkans.Parasitological diagnostics was carried out in June 2023 in a group of 221 soldiers from the Polish Military Contingents Kosovo stationed in several military camps across the country. Each participant was asked to provide three stool samples collected at 2–3-day intervals. Faecal examinations were performed using three different light microscopy testing methods (direct smear, decantation, flotation) at the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine at the Military Institute of Medicine – National Research Institute.Intestinal parasites, all of protozoan aetiology, were found in 28 out of 221 Polish soldiers taking part in the Kosovo Force operation in Kosovo included in the study (0.9% participants were infected with Giardia intestinalis and 11.7% with potentially pathogenic parasites, Blastocystis spp. and Dientamoeba fragilis). There were no infections with nematodes, cestodes or trematodes among the study participants. No correlation was found between the detection of a parasitic infection and the presence of diarrhoea or other gastrointestinal symptoms within six months prior to the study. The analysis demonstrated that infections with protozoa were most often found in soldiers aged 35–45 years old. As for the military ranks, the rate of infections in each corps (privates, non-commissioned officers, and officers) was similar.Cases of intestinal parasitic infections in soldiers from the Polish Military Contingent Kosovo could be associated with the effects of environmental conditions (poor standards of sanitation in the areas of deployment) and failure to comply with disease prevention principles (food and feed hygiene).