Opportunistic Intestinal Protozoan Infections in HIV/AIDS Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in the North West Region of Cameroon

Background: In most developing countries, intestinal parasites are the major cause of morbidity and mortality killing millions of patients each year. Hence, this study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of intestinal protozoans in HIV/AIDS patients on ART in three hospitals in the North West region of Cameroon.
Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried out in three Hospitals in the North West Region of Cameroon, focusing on HIV/AIDS patients who were enrolled for ART in these Hospitals. A total of 320 HIV/AIDS patients aged 1-70 years, of both sexes (230 females and 90 males) participated in the study. Stool samples were collected and processed using direct wet mount, formol-ether concentration technique and modified Ziehl-Neelson staining techniques.
Results: Results obtained showed that out of the 320 stool samples examined, 120 (37.5%) were infected with at least one species of intestinal protozoa. Males showed a significantly higher prevalence of 41.1% (37) as compared to the females 36.09% (83). Prevalence was also significantly higher in the rural areas 42.4%, (87) than in the urban areas 28.7%, (33). The age group with the highest prevalence was that of 31-40 years 40.6%, (43). The prevalence for parasite species was 14.4% for Cryptosporidium parvum, 13.4% for Entamoeba coli, 11.3% for Entamoeba histolytica, 7.8% for Microsporidia, 2.2% for Iodamoeba butschlii and 1.9% for Cystoisospora belli.
Conclusion: The results indicated that opportunistic intestinal infections are a threat to HIV patients in the studied area. Therefore public health measures should be strongly encouraged to improve the life quality of the patients.