{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T07:59:40Z","timestamp":1771919980696,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,22]],"date-time":"2026-02-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771718400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Impuesto Directo a los Hidrocarburos"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004359","name":"Swedish Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004359","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Swedish International Developing Cooperation Agency"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Children living in resource-limited regions with inadequate environmental sanitation, such as the Bolivian highlands, are affected by parasitic infections that may compromise nutritional status. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and their associations with nutritional status, micronutrient deficiencies, and anemia in school-aged children from La Paz, Bolivia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 212 schoolchildren aged 5\u201313 years in the municipality of La Paz, in highland areas characterized by high poverty levels. Parasitological examination, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical assessment of micronutrients (vitamins A and D, zinc, iron) were performed to evaluate children\u2019s health status. Results: Mild malnutrition was more prevalent than moderate-to-severe forms. Micronutrient analysis revealed substantial deficiencies in vitamin A (39%), zinc (25%), and vitamin D (18%). Zinc deficiency was significantly more common in children aged 11\u201313 years compared to younger age groups (p = 0.034). Intestinal protozoan infections showed significant associations with micronutrient deficiencies. Giardia lamblia infection was associated with both vitamin A (30.9%, p = 0.042) and vitamin D (78.9%, p = 0.001) deficiencies. Blastocystis spp. infection was similarly linked to higher prevalence of vitamin A (35.8%, p = 0.025) and vitamin D (69.7%, p = 0.004) deficiencies. Entamoeba coli infection was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.021), while Iodamoeba b\u00fctschlii infection showed a significant association with zinc status (p = 0.027), with notably lower zinc deficiency prevalence in infected children (7.7%) compared to non-infected children. Among helminth infections, Ascaris lumbricoides was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency (37%, p = 0.018). Moderate-to-severe anemia was highly prevalent, affecting over half of the children regardless of sex. Wasting (BAZ) was significantly associated with age (p = 0.030), with moderate-to-severe cases most prevalent in children aged 5\u20137 years and absent in older groups, while mild wasting increased with age. In univariate logistic regression analysis, zinc deficiency emerged as a significant risk factor for anemia (OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.19\u20135.29, p = 0.016). No significant associations were observed between anemia and sex, age group, vitamin A or D status, or anthropometric indicators including underweight, stunting, or wasting. Conclusions: These findings highlight the substantial burden of micronutrient deficiencies, parasitic infections, and anemia among children in this impoverished region, underscoring the urgent need for targeted public health interventions addressing nutritional supplementation, parasite control, and improved sanitation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms14020511","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T11:39:10Z","timestamp":1771846750000},"page":"511","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Interplay of Gastrointestinal Parasites, Micronutrient Deficiencies, and Anemia in Children from the Bolivian Highlands"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Washington R.","family":"Cuna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Inmunolog\u00eda Parasitaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Andr\u00e9s, La Paz 10077, Bolivia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3372-2248","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Passera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9643-4342","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Celeste","family":"Rodriguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Inmunolog\u00eda Parasitaria, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Andr\u00e9s, La Paz 10077, Bolivia"},{"name":"Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia, La Paz, Bolivia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5020490","DOI":"10.1155\/2023\/5020490","article-title":"Frequency of Gastrointestinal Parasites, Anemia, and Nutritional Status among Children from Different Geographical Regions of Bolivia","volume":"2023","author":"Apaza","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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