Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitosis in Chronic Diarrhea among Art Naive HIV Infected Patients in Kano, Northern Nigeria

Aim To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and spectrum of parasites in chronic diarrhea among Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) naive, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients in Kano, northern Nigeria. Recently, co-epidemic of diarrhea and HIV has been on the increase especially in the developing areas of sub-Saharan Africa resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Materials and Methods The prevalence of parasitosis and spectrum of associated parasites were determined in 95 ART nave HIV infected patients with chronic diarrhea at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Stool samples were analyzed microscopically using concentrated method, Kinyoun modified acid-fast stain and trichrome stain techniques for the detection of oocytes and spores of parasites respectively. The prevalence of parasitosis was evaluated in relation to demographic characteristics of the study population. Results Analysis showed that 52 (54.7 %) ART nave HIV infected patients had parasitosis comprising mainly Entamoeba histolytica (21, 22.1 %), Microsporidia (16, 16.8 %), Cryptosporidia (12, 12.6 %), Hookworm (6, 6.3 %). Multiple parasitosis were observed in 13 (13.7 %) patients. There was no significant difference (Pgreater than0.05) in age (P=0.23), gender (P=0.06) and weight (P=0.90) of the patients in relation to the prevalence of parasitosis. Conclusion The high (54.7 %) prevalence of parasitosis among ART nave HIV infected patients at AKTH and IDH calls for adoption of routine diagnosis with specific and sensitive technique for the detection of parasitosis to guide all inclusive chemotherapy for this category of patients. Prevalence, intestinal parasitosis, ART nave patients, Kano, Nigeria. Aim To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and spectrum of parasites in chronic diarrhea among Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) naive, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients in Kano, northern Nigeria. Recently, co-epidemic of diarrhea and HIV has been on the increase especially in the developing areas of sub-Saharan Africa resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Materials and Methods The prevalence of parasitosis and spectrum of associated parasites were determined in 95 ART nave HIV infected patients with chronic diarrhea at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Stool samples were analyzed microscopically using concentrated method, Kinyoun modified acid-fast stain and trichrome stain techniques for the detection of oocytes and spores of parasites respectively. The prevalence of parasitosis was evaluated in relation to demographic characteristics of the study population. Results Analysis showed that 52 (54.7 %) ART nave HIV infected patients had parasitosis comprising mainly Entamoeba histolytica (21, 22.1 %), Microsporidia (16, 16.8 %), Cryptosporidia (12, 12.6 %), Hookworm (6, 6.3 %). Multiple parasitosis were observed in 13 (13.7 %) patients. There was no significant difference (Pgreater than0.05) in age (P=0.23), gender (P=0.06) and weight (P=0.90) of the patients in relation to the prevalence of parasitosis. Conclusion The high (54.7 %) prevalence of parasitosis among ART nave HIV infected patients at AKTH and IDH calls for adoption of routine diagnosis with specific and sensitive technique for the detection of parasitosis to guide all inclusive chemotherapy for this category of patients.