Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Parasitology 1735-7020 14 4 2019 12 31 651 663 EN Khadijeh TAHERKHANI Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Ameneh BARIKANI Children Growth Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Mojtaba SHAHNAZI Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran Mehrzad SARAEI Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran AND Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran 2018 04 17 2019 12 31 Background: Intestinal parasites are one of the health challenges in developing countries. Decreasing the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) is one of the main aims of health services in these countries. This study was designed to determine the current status of IPIs in rural residents of Takestan a town located in North West of Iran. Methods: A total of 2280 rural residents of Takestan were randomly selected. Data were collected through questionnaire by interviews and laboratory findings obtained by microscopic examination of stool sample including wet smear and formalin ethyl-acetate concentration. A P <0.05 was considered significant, statistically. Results: In total, 8.7% (199/2280) of participants were positive for at least one intestinal parasite. The prevalence of polyparasitism was 0.7% in study population. Hymenolepis nana was the only helminthic infection which was detected (1/2280). Blastocystis, Entamoeba coli, and Giardia lamblia were the most common IPIs with prevalence of 3.6%, 2.9%, and 1.6%, respectively. Statistically, the prevalence of IPIs showed significant differences among villages (P<0.01) and age groups (P<0.001), and also habit of eating raw vegetables (P<0.005), whereas, the difference was insignificant in terms of sex, education level, and occupation. Conclusion: The prevalence of IPIs in rural residents of the study area is considerably low and this reduction was very impressive about helminthic infections. https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/2102