ABSTRACT
Fecal specimens were collected from patients complaining of diarrhea and abdominal or epigastric discomfort at two hospitals. Information obtained by questionnaires completed at the time of specimens collection included demographic and clinical data. The specimens were preserved in 10% formalin and polyvinyl alcohol [PVA] and examined as wet mounts as well as stained with Wheatley's trichrome, Weber, modified acid-fast and hot safranin stains. A total of 100 patients was examined, parasites were detected in 30 of them. The most common organism identified was Cryptosporidium parvum in specimens of five patients, followed by Entamoeba histolytica/E. Dispar in four patients. The recently described "emerging parasites" were detected. Helminth eggs were found in two patients only. HIV status was not known for most of the patients and the parasites commonly proliferated in the immunocompromised individuals were not frequently found