Molecular survey of certain protozoan agents that cause diarrhea in children in Sudan

Abstract

Introduction Diarrhea is a significant health problem in Third World. Identification the pathogen that cause diarrhea is vital for measures to prevent and control this disease. There are also very few reports of diarrhea in Sudan. Our study aimed to determine the Prevalenceof specific protozoan pathogens (Entameobia histolytica, Cryptosporidium parvum., and Giardia lamblia) in children in Khartoum, Sudan. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among children under five years of age hospitalized with acute diarrhea between April and December 2014. Diarrheastool samples were collected and examined E. histolytica, C. parvum, and G. lamblia using a multiplex real-time PCR. Results 437 acute children were included in this study; the higher Prevalence of diarrhea was in the age less than ≤2years old (403,92.2%). The male-to -female ratio in this study was 1:1.7. infection with intestinal parasite was found in 155 (35.5%) cases, and co-infection was detected in 16 (3.7%) cases. G. lamblia (18.8%) and C. parvum (15.8 %) were the most frequently identified parasites, followed by E. histolytica (0.9). The parasite infection rate was highest and lowest in the under 2-year-old group (32.7%), and in the 2–4-year-old group (2.7%),the infection rate was higher was higher in boys (23.7%) than in girls (11.7%). tThe incidence of protozoan infection was higher (37.7%) in the rainy season (August to December) (32.7%), corresponding with that in the dry Season (April to June). (2.7%) Discussion Our present study demonstrated the high prevalence of G. lamblia and C. parvum in children with diarrhea in Khartoum region and usefulness of the multiplex real-time method in disclosing pathogenic protozoal agents. Our result highlighted the necessity of developing intervention measurement and control strategies to deal with childhood parasitic diarrhea in this region.