Cryptosporidiosis in HIV-Positive Patients, Bandar Abbas, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by a small protozoan of the genus coccidian. It is important in the medical and veterinary area, since it is a zoonotic parasite. Transmission of fecal-oral infections occurs through direct and indirect contact with food and contaminated drinks. Many HIV-positive individuals live in the areas where intestinal parasites are hyper-endemic.

Given the significance of the study associated with opportunistic infectious diseases in this group of patients, we decided to study the prevalence of the parasite in those individuals.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we collected a single fecal specimen of 133 HIV-positive patients seeking treatment from the center for Behavioral Disease Counseling of Bandar Abbas, Iran. Stool samples examined by direct, formalin-ether concentration method and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain for Cryptosporidium spp.

The mean age of the patients was 42.15 (ranged 12 - 82 years). No oocyst of cryptosporidium spp. or other intestinal coccidian was found in any of the samples. Only four species including Giardia lamblia, Hymenolepis nana, and both Entamoeba coli and Blastocystis hominis were found in three patients, which indicated less diversity and low frequency of parasitic infection in this study.

Monitoring and evaluating the therapeutic process of the patients lead to less infectious diseases, especially those of opportunistic parasites.