Intestinal Parasitic Infections among HIV/AIDS Patients with Diarrhoea at Rural Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital Of Maharashtra.

ABSTRACT

Background and Objective: Opportunistic intestinal parasites usually cause mild and self- limiting infections in immunocompetent individuals but in the case of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) they cause severe, chronic or frequent gastrointestinal disease. The spectrum of intestinal parasites causing infections in PLHA varies from country to country and region to region within the country. Therefore it is very necessary to know the relative frequencies of specific intestinal parasites causing diarrhoea in PLHA in different regions of the country to devise appropriate management strategies. The present study was conducted with an aim to document the prevalence pattern of various intestinal parasites in PLHA in rural tertiary care teaching hospital of Maharashtra. Methods: Stool samples collected from HIV infected individuals with diarrhoea were screened for the presence of intestinal parasites by standard parasitological protocol. Results and Interpretation: The incidence of HIV infection was high in age group 26-35 years followed by 16-25 years age group. The incidence of HIV infection was high in males as compared to females. Out of 124 stool samples screened, 44 (35.48%) showed presence of intestinal parasites. Cryptosporidium parvum followed by Entamoebahistolytica and Isospora belli were the most common intestinal parasite. Conclusion: Opportunistic intestinal parasitic infections still pose as a problem in rural parts of India. This underscores the importance of screening of stool samples of PLHA. It can be also suggested that along with prompt diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infection, clean potable water supply, improved sanitation and health education is necessary for preventing opportunistic infection in PLHA.