Evaluating the Knowledge and Practice of Physicians Regarding Blastocystis hominis

Abstract

Background: Blastocystis hominis is an enteric protozoan in humans and animals. This survey aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of physicians about B. hominis. Methods: This study was performed on physicians working in Ahvaz County, using a convenience sampling method from January to June 2020. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and an electronic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were calculated for all variables. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Our results showed that of the 352 physicians, 64.2% and 58.0% knew that B. hominis might cause abdominal pain and diarrhea, respectively, but their knowledge was poor about the possibility of extraintestinal clinical symptoms such as urticaria. Regarding the transmission route, 91.8% agreed that the fecal-oral route is the main mode of B. hominis transmission, but only 17.9% were aware of the role of host animals in its transmission. Furthermore, the physicians had poor knowledge of the need to treat symptomatic patients and resistance to metronidazole in some cases. More than two-thirds of the physicians (68%) had good practice treating infected immunocompromised patients but had poor practice treating symptomatic patients. Conclusions: This study emphasizes improving physicians’ knowledge of pathogenicity, clinical symptoms, and treating B. hominis. Since B. hominis is a common protozoan with pathogenic potential, we recommend training sessions for physicians to inform them of new findings about B. hominis.