Screening for Opportunistic Intestinal Parasites in HIV/AIDS Patients, Attending the Services of Medical Care in Three Different Hospitals, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background and study aim: Diagnostic examination of stools for opportunistic intestinal parasites in HIV/AIDS patients is given less attention than it should be. The suspected opportunistic intestinal parasites such as Cryptosporidium parvum,Cyclospora cayentanensis, Toxoplasma gondii, Isospora belli and the symptom of explosive watery diarrhea they cause as well as others including Strongyloides stercoralis are the threat against the well-being of HIV/AIDS patients. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the indispensable necessity to free HIV/AIDS patients (who are under medical care in 3 different hospitals, Southern Ethiopia), from opportunistic intestinal parasites using diagnostic examination of stools followed by prompt curative treatment during every safety time interval. Patients and methods: Fresh stools samples from a total sample size of 710 HIV/AIDS patients were taken and examined in the parasitology laboratory, Dilla University, for the suspected intestinal opportunistic parasites. The methods employed to identify the intestinal parasites included observations in : wet mount, formalin-ether concentration technique, and permanent slide preparation as well as Baermann apparatus method for Strongyloides stercoralis. Result: Out of 710 HIV/AIDS patients examined 196 were found to be positive for 6 different species of the suspected intestinal parasites (infection rate of these parasites in the population of HIV/AIDS patients of the 3 different hospitals being 196×100/710=27.6% The six species of parasites isolated from fresh stools samples were: Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides stercoralis, Entameba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Balantidium coli, and Trichuris trichiura. Conclusion: Reasonably planned successive safety time intervals must be attended continuously by HIV/AIDS patients without interruption to utilize the services of medical care in order to avoid/ neutralize the potential opportunistic infections and reinfections; otherwise, the fulminant death can turn to be true. The safety and well-being of those HIV-infected patients who attend all the medical services & advices provided by clinical experts is not different from that of HIV-noninfected individuals without any trace of exaggeration.