Assessment of intestinal parasites in immunocompromised patients in Ardabil city

Introduction & Objective: Intestinal parasitic infections are among the major problems of public health. These infections are more common and more severe in immunocompromised patients. Considering the importance of intestinal parasitic infections among immunocompromised patients and lack of data from Ardabil city, this study was carried out to identify the frequency of intestinal parasites in immunocompromised patients referred to health and medical centers of Ardabil city. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive cross sectional study a total of 100 stool samples were collected from immunocompromised individuals referred to health and medical centers and examined for intestinal parasites using direct smear, formol-ethyl acetate concentration, agar plate culture and Ziel-Neelsen staining technique. Result: The frequency of intestinal parasites was: Cryptosporidium spp. oocyst 4%, Blastocystis hominis 3%, Giardia lamblia 2% and Taenia saginata 1%. Conclusion: Present survey shows the importance of testing for intestinal parasites in immunocompromised patients and emphasizes the necessity of increasing awareness between clinicians regarding the occurrence of parasite infections in these patients