COMPARISON BETWEEN ENTEROPARASITE INFESTA TION RATE IN HIV-POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE POPULATIONS

Comparison between enteroparasite infestation rate in HIV positive and negative populations This study was carried out on two groups of pati ents treated at the Jose de San Martin Clinical Hospital. One group wa s composed of 82 HIV-seropositive patients with no signs of diarrhea, and another one of 300 patients, not suspected of HIV infection, was c onsidered as ''control population''. Stool samples were collected from each patient and examined for intestinal parasites. These determinati ons were carried out at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, in th e same Hospital. Three specimens were obtained from each patient and p rocessed in an identical form. Concentration methods, a direct smear t echnique after centrifugation and the trichrome staining procedure wer e performed on each sample. The HIV-positive group was found to harbor a higher proportion of intestinal parasites. Outstanding differences between both groups in percentages of parasitoses were observed. Speci es found in a significantly higher percentage among HIV seropositive p atients were: Entamoeba histolytica (26.5%), lodamoeba butschlii (16.9 %), Dientamoeba fragilis (25.3%), Blastocystis hominis (51.8%), Crypto sporidium sp. (7,2%), and probably Isospora belli (1.2%). No significa nt differences in percentages of Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Chil omastix mesnili and helminths were observed between both groups. Withi n the HIV-positive group, a higher proportion of infestation due to E. histolytica and I. butschlii was observed in homosexuals-bisexuals th an in intravenous drug addicts or heterosexuals.