scholarly journals The Prevalence of Blastocystis Infection in Pediatric Patients with Malignancy: A Single-Center Study in Ahvaz, Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roya Salehi Kahish ◽  
Arash Alghasi ◽  
Shekoufe Hadadi ◽  
Marziyeh Abasi Nasab ◽  
Aida Mafakherzadeh

Background: Blastocystis spp. is known as one of the few intestinal parasites, prevalent in more than 5% and 30 - 60% of the population in industrialized and developing countries, respectively. In this respect, immunocompromised individuals, such as patients undergoing chemotherapy or those with malignancies, are at risk of the clinical symptoms of Blastocystis infection; however, the given condition is often self-limiting in healthy individuals. Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of Blastocystis infection in children with malignancies receiving chemo drugs. Methods: The current descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 52 stool specimens collected from patients with cancer admitted to the Oncology Ward of Shahid Baqaei 2 Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran, for six months. A standardized questionnaire was filled out for all cases. Each specimen was also prepared using direct smear, the Lugol iodine staining, and the formalin-ether condensation method. Results: Blastocystis spp. was detected in 21.1% of the cases among them, 11.5% demonstrated gastrointestinal symptoms; therefore, a significant relationship was observed between Blastocystis infection and gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusion: Patients undergoing chemotherapy should be screened for opportunistic parasitic infections such as Blastocystis to avoid potentially life-threatening outcomes. Besides, further studies are required to identify the subtypes of Blastocystis.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
Elnaz Abbasi ◽  
Alireza Amouzandeh-Nobaveh ◽  
Ehsanollah Ghaznavi-Rad

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections, particularly those caused by Giardia lamblia, are among the major health problems that exist worldwide, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the intestinal parasites Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica that were isolated from samples of infectious diarrhea in pediatric patients from Central Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 230 samples of infectious diarrhea that were collected from May 2015 to February 2016. Direct observation, the formalin-ether sedimentation method and the technique using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of β-giardin and EH primers were used for the identification of Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica. Results: Out of 230 samples of infectious diarrhea, five cases (2.1%) of Giardia lamblia and no cases (0%) of Entamoeba histolytica were identified using the formalin-ether sedimentation method and the same result were obtained using PCR technique. Of the five patients who had Giardia lamblia, three (60%) were male and two (40%) were female. The most common clinical symptoms in these patients were stomach ache and diarrhea (100%) and mucus in the stool (80%). Conclusion: Giardia lamblia was introduced as a parasitic agent causing diarrhea from Central Iran. The results indicate that pediatricians and, even more importantly, experts in laboratories should pay special attention to the identification of this parasite to treat the patients as effectively and as quickly as possible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-305
Author(s):  
H. M. Al-Mekhlafi

SummaryHymenolepis nana is the most common cestode reported in humans worldwide. It is prevalent among children in the tropics and subtropics, particularly in rural poor communities where sanitation is inadequate or lacking. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence and significant risk factors of H. nana infection among children in rural Yemen. Faecal samples were collected from 498 children and screened for intestinal parasites by using wet mount, formalin-ether concentration and Kato–Katz techniques. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect demographic, socioeconomic, housing condition, and personal hygiene information. Overall, 77.5 % (386/498) of the children were found to be infected by at least one intestinal parasite species. The overall prevalence of H. nana was 17.5 % (87/498). Multivariate analysis confirmed that an age of < 6 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.28; 95 % (confidence interval [CI] = 2.04, 8.98), presence of other family members infected with H. nana (AOR = 2.48; 95 % CI = 1.45, 4.24), living in the highlands (AOR = 2.87; 95 % CI = 1.56, 5.26), living in a house without improved toilet facilities (AOR = 2.19; 95 % CI = 1.23, 3.88), not washing vegetables before consumption (AOR = 2.11; 95 % CI = 1.06, 4.19), and not washing hands after defecation (AOR = 1.88; 95 % CI = 1.08, 3.27) were the key factors significantly associated with H. nana infection among the studied children. In conclusion, H. nana is prevalent among children in rural Yemen, particularly among preschool-aged children. Thus, an integrated and effective programme to control intestinal parasitic infections should include preschool-aged children. Such a programme should focus on providing health education on hygienic practices, providing adequate sanitation and improved sources of drinking water, and screening and treating other infected family members.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ermias Alemayehu ◽  
Alemu Gedefie ◽  
Aderaw Adamu ◽  
Jemal Mohammed ◽  
Brhanu Kassanew ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Parasitic infections are known causes of morbidity among HIV infected patients with low CD4+ counts who are on antiretroviral therapy; mainly as a result of immune suppression. Thus, this study aimed to assess the extent of intestinal parasitic infection and its related risk factors among HIV infected patients attending ART clinic of Debretabor General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia.Patients and methods: A health facility based cross sectional study was conducted on a total of 383 HIV infected patients attending ART clinic of Debretabor General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia from December 2018 to March 2019. An interview based structured questionnaire were used to gather socio-demographic and risk factor data. About 5 grams of fresh stool specimen and 4 ml of venous blood sample were collected, then transported and tested in accordance with the laboratory standard operating procedures. The obtained data was entered into SPSS version 22.0; and analyzed. P-value <0.05 with 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant.Result: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 25.3%; with 18% and 23.8% by direct wet mount and formol-ether concentration technique respectively. 8 (2.1%) patients were infected by multiple parasites in concentration technique. Ascaris lumbricoides, 23(25.3%) was the most frequently identified parasite. Parasitic infection was significantly higher among illiterates (P=0.011); patients with a CD4 count of <200 cells/mm3 (P<0.001) and among patients who did not have latrine (P=0.049) than their counter parts.Conclusion: Relatively higher prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was found among HIV/AIDS patients. The distribution of intestinal parasites is greatly affected by illiteracy, reduced CD4+ counts and absence of toilet. Thus, HIV/AIDS patients with low CD4+ counts should be diagnosed consistently for intestinal parasites and routine stool examination and awareness creation should be advocated to be included as an essential component of the ART monitoring strategy for improved patient care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemechu Ameya ◽  
Zerihun Zerdo ◽  
Mihret Tesfaye ◽  
Chimdo Jabesa ◽  
Abayneh Awaje ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Intestinal parasitic infection is one of the parasitic infections affecting people living in prison. Helminths and intestinal protozoan infections are the most common parasitic infection that may cause serious life-threatening diseases in inmates living in developing countries. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among inmates living in Arba Minch prison, southern Ethiopia. Methods Institutional based cross sectional study was conducted on Arba Minch inmates, southern Ethiopian. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather the data of socio-demographic characteristics, hygiene status of the prisoners, sanitation condition of the prison, and associated factors for IPIs by face to face interview. Direct wet-mount examination and formol-ether sedimentation techniques were used to examine intestinal parasitic infection from stool specimens. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to see the association between different variables and the IPI. Odds ratio with 95% CI was computed to determine the presence association and strength of the associated factors. Result A total of 320 prisoners were participated in this study. Of these, 154(48.1%) of them were infected with one or more intestinal parasites. Eight different intestinal parasites species were identified and Giardia lamblia was the predominant parasite. Among infected inmates, nearly one out of four of them had multiple parasitic infections dominated by Giardia lamblia and E. histolytica/dispar co-infection. Sleeping in group [AOR = 1.9; 95% CI: (1.0–3.8)], married prisoners [AOR = 1.8; 95% CI: (1.1–2.9)], and hand washing habits after handling soil [AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: (1.0–5.6)] were independently associated with IPI. Conclusion High prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was detected in Arba Minch inmates, southern Ethiopian. Absence of hand washing, marital status, and way of sleeping were the factors associated with the IPI. Implementation of mass drug administration, education on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and periodic screening of intestinal parasitic infection is very important to reduce the high prevalence IPIs in prison.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabit Zenu Siraj ◽  
Eshetu Alemayehu ◽  
Kifle Woldemichael

Abstract Background Street child is any child whose age is less than 18 years for whom the street has become his or her habitual abode and/or source of livelihood, is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults. In Ethiopia the health problems of street children are given poor attention in research. This problem is pronounced when it comes to intestinal parasitic infections . The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and associated factors among street children in Jimma town in the year 2019. Methods and Materials: Community based cross sectional study was employed. Complete enumeration was used to include 312 street children. Pretested questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data was entered to Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20. Stool samples were examined by wet mount and formalin ether concentration techniques. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intestinal parasitic infection. Significance of association was decided by using the 95% confidence interval of AOR and P-value of ≤ 0.05 in the multivariable model. Result: A total of 312 children of the street were involved in the study making the response rate 96.2%. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 66.7%. Untrimmed finger nails AOR=2.03;95%CI (1.02-4.06), eating street food AOR=2.24;95% CI (1.04-5.02), practice of swimming in unprotected water bodies AOR=2.5; 95% CI (1.24-5.04), not wearing shoes at the time of data collection AOR= 3.8;95% CI (1.8-8.2) and lacking knowledge of way of transmission of intestinal parasites AOR= 2.5; 95% CI (1.25- 5.0) were significantly associated with parasitic infections. Conclusion and Recommendations: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among street children in the study area was high and require integrated interventions to avert the problem. Factors like untrimmed finger nails, swimming practice, eating street foods, shoe wearing and lacking knowledge of ways of transmission of intestinal parasitic infections are associated with infection status. Measures has to be taken to curb the problem by including them in mass drug administration and targeted health education towards identified factors. Key words : Street children, Intestinal parasites, Jimma


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Honório Silva Santos ◽  
Rita de Cássia Santos Barros ◽  
Kátia Virgínia Galvão Gomes ◽  
Adriana Alves Nery ◽  
Cezar Augusto Casotti

Abstract Objective: To identify the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and associated factors in elderly persons resident in the community. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed involving 236 elderly persons in Aiquara, in the state of Bahia, Brazil, in 2015. Data were collected through a coprological survey and a questionnaire for information relating to sociodemographic characteristics, health and lifestyle. The presence of parasites in stools was verified by the Hoffman method. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasites among the elderly was 30.5%. Among infected elderly persons, 26.3% had monoparasitism, 3.8% biparasitism and 0.4% polyparasitism. There was a predominance of protozoa (80.8%) over helminths (19.2%). The most prevalent parasites were Entamoeba coli (44.6%); Endolimax nana (21.7%) and Iodamoeba bütschlii (14.5%). In the population studied, the independent variables analyzed were not associated (p>0.05) with the presence of intestinal parasites. Conclusion: the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in elderly people living in the urban area of the municipal region of Aiquara, Bahia, was high and there was no association between intestinal parasites and sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle or health.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 868-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sintayehu Fekadu ◽  
Kefyalew Taye ◽  
Wondu Teshome ◽  
Solomon Asnake

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infectionsare a major public health burden in tropical countries. Although all HIV/AIDS patients are susceptible to parasitic infections, those having lower immune status are at greater risk. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in patients living with HIV/AIDS. Methodology: This was a facility-based cross-sectional study. A total of 343 consecutively sampled HIV/AIDS patients from the HIV care clinic of Hawassa University Referral Hospital were included. Subjects were interviewed for demographic variables and diarrheal symptoms using structured questionnaires. Stool examinations and CD4 cells counts were also performed. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 47.8% among HIV/AIDS patients;  single helminthic infection prevalence (22.7%) was higher than that the prevalence of protozoal infections (14.6%). About 54% of study participants had chronic diarrhea while 3.4% had acute diarrhea. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in patients with chronic diarrhea was significantly higher than in acute diarrhea (p <0.05). Non-opportunistic intestinal parasite infections such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Taenia spp., and hookworm were commonlyfound, regardless of immunestatus or diarrheal symptoms. Opportunistic and non-opportunistic intestinal parasitic infection were more frequent in patients with a CD4 count of <200/mm3 (OR=9.5; 95% CI: 4.64-19.47) when compared with patients with CD4 counts of >=500 cells/mm3. Conclusions: Intestinal parasitic infections should be suspected in HIV/AIDS-infected patients with advanced disease presenting with chronic diarrhea. Patients with low CD4 counts should be examined critically for intestinal parasites, regardless of diarrheal status.


2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolfath Shojaei Arani ◽  
Reza Alaghehbandan ◽  
Lame Akhlaghi ◽  
Maryam Shahi ◽  
Abdolaziz Rastegar Lari

The aim of this study was to describe epidemiologic characteristics of intestinal parasites in a population in south of Tehran, Iran. A retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with suspicious intestinal parasitic infections referred to the Zakaria Razi Laboratory in Shahre-Ray, southern Tehran, Iran, was conducted from April 21, 2004 to October 20, 2005. All stool samples were examined and socio-demographic informations were retrieved. Of 4,371 referred patients, 466 (239 males and 227 females) were laboratory diagnosed with intestinal parasites, with a period prevalence of 10.7%. Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) and Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) were the most frequent intestinal parasites. More than half of patients aged ³ 18 years had a low level of educational attainment (e.g. illiterate, primary school, high school) (170/331, 54.1%). Further, majority of patients were homemakers (42.3%, 140/331) or workers (28.1%, 93/331) employed in various business settings such as food industry and construction. Findings of this study showed that intestinal parasitic infections are still a major public health challenge in Iran that needs to be addressed. We believe that public education, improving sanitation conditions of underdeveloped areas/communities, community involvement, and supporting evidence-based practice/programs are the major keys to success in preventing the spread of intestinal parasitic infections in Iran.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Awrajaw Dessie ◽  
Tesfay Gebregzabher ◽  
Berihu Kiros ◽  
Sintayehu Daba Wami ◽  
Daniel Haile Chercos

Abstract [EXSCINDED] Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and associated factors among school children in Sebeya primary school, Northern Ethiopia, 2017.Results The prevalence of intestinal parasites in school age children was (29.9%). E.histolytica/dispar 62 (49.21%), G.lamblia 28 (22.22%), and A. lumbricoides 23 (18.25%) were the most prevalent parasitic organisms identified. Unclean finger nail (AOR= 1.72), defecating in the open field (AOR=2.82), and being barefooted (AOR=1.72) were the determinant factors for intestinal parasitic infections. Frequently washing hands reduced the chance of infections by 68%. Furthermore, children in grade 1-4 and 5-6 had higher odds developing the infections than those in grade 7-8 (AOR=8.21 and AOR=2.50, respectively).


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