Intestinal Parasitic Infection and Associated Risk Factors among HIV-Infected Patients Seeking Healthcare in a Rural Hospital in Ghana

John Gameli Deku; Kwesi Amoah Botchway; Silas Kinanyok; Charles Kwame Gedzeah; Richard Vikpebah Duneeh; Kwabena Obeng Duedu

doi:10.1155/2022/5652637

Intestinal Parasitic Infection and Associated Risk Factors among HIV-Infected Patients Seeking Healthcare in a Rural Hospital in Ghana

J Pathog. 2022 Aug 22:2022:5652637. doi: 10.1155/2022/5652637. eCollection 2022.

Authors

John Gameli Deku¹, Kwesi Amoah Botchway², Silas Kinanyok¹, Charles Kwame Gedzeah², Richard Vikpebah Duneeh¹, Kwabena Obeng Duedu³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
² Laboratory Department, St. Mary Theresa Hospital, Dodi Papase, Ghana.
³ Department of Biomedical Science, School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.

Abstract

Background: Parasitic infections among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are common in various regions and populations across the world and have since remained a persistent public health challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa harbors the greatest burden of the infections due to sociodemographic and behavioral factors. However, the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections among HIV-infected persons has been poorly investigated in Ghana.

Aim: This study sought to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections and associated factors in HIV-infected individuals attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic in St. Mary Theresa Hospital, Dodi Papase.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to September 2021 among three hundred and thirty-five HIV-infected individuals in the study area. Sociodemographic and behavioral factors were collected with the aid of a close-ended structured questionnaire. Furthermore, stool samples were collected from each participant and examined for the presence of intestinal parasites by microscopy using direct wet mount, formol-ether concentration, and modified Ziehl-Neelsen (Zn) techniques. Data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 and Graphpad Prism version 8.

Results: The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections was 5.97%. Species-specific prevalence was found to be 2.99% for Giardia lamblia, 1.19% for Ascaris lumbricoides, and 0.90% each for Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Trichuris trichiura. There was a significant association between participants' educational level and intestinal parasitic infection. In addition, gastrointestinal parasitic infections were not found to be associated with age. Unemployed participants, those with a lower frequency of deworming, and those who do not use water closet toilet facilities were at a higher risk of getting infected.

Conclusion: The lower infection rate recorded in this study suggests that public health interventions put in place are yielding significant results. Even though the prevalence is low, routine screening of all HIV-infected patients for parasitic infection is recommended to ensure timely, effective treatment and comprehensive care.