Intestinal Parasitemia and HIV/AIDS Co-infections at Varying CD4+ T-cell Levels

Abstract

Background: Intestinal parasites, especially coccidian parasites, cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as severe diarrhoea which increases morbidity and mortality rates in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the prevalence of intestinal parasites in people living with AIDS at different CD4 + T-cell levels. Method: Case-control studies were conducted over a four month period including a total of 672 participants, between the ages of 8 and 72 years. HIV screening and confirmatory tests were done. We examined stool samples by wet mount, followed by formol-ether concentration and staining with Modified Field's and Ziehl Neelsen techniques. We also carried out fluorescenceactivated cell sorting (FACS) analyses to obtain their CD4 + T-cell levels.