The spectrum of parasitic infections with emphasis on the clinico-epidemiological characteristics and risk factors among immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients at a university hospital in Northern India.

Abstract

Intestinal parasitic infections pose a substantial threat to public health and are a huge burden to the economic development of a developing country. We aimed to identify the spectrum of intestinal parasitic infections with an emphasis on demographic and clinical characteristics observed among immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. This observational study was performed in the Parasitology section of the Department of Microbiology from January 2022 to July 2022. A total of 2628 stool samples were obtained from patients presenting with chief complaints of abdominal pain, distension, vomiting, and foul-smelling feces. All the clinical and diagnostic data of the patients enrolled in the above-mentioned period were extracted from the ward files, hospital electronic records, and laboratory registers. A total of 2628 stool samples were sent to the Parasitology section of the Department of Microbiology. Out of the above-mentioned samples, 70 (70/2628, 2.66%) samples yielded gastrointestinal parasites on microscopic examination. The mean age of the patients included in our cohort study was 32.53 ± 16.21 years with a male predominance of 72.86% (51/70, 72.86%). The most common gastrointestinal parasite identified from stool samples was <i>Giardia lamblia</i> (61/70, 87.14%). All cases of opportunistic gastrointestinal infection caused by <i>Cryptosporidium spp</i>. (4/70, 5.71%) in our study cohort were found to infest the immunocompromised patients. This study determines the spectrum of intestinal parasitic infections among the immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals and guides physicians in starting appropriate anti-parasitic treatment along with the instillation of strict hand hygiene techniques.