title: Frequency of enteric protozoan parasites among patients with gastrointestinal complaints in medical centers of Zahedan, Iran.
abstract: We investigated the prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites in patients with gastrointestinal complaints in medical centers in Zahedan, Iran. A total of 1562 stool samples was examined from July 2004 to January 2006 using microscopy (direct smear, formalin-ether concentration), xenic culture and PCR techniques. Four hundred and twenty-seven (27.3%) of the patients were infected with one or more intestinal parasites. Giardia lamblia (10.1%), Entamoeba coli (10%), E. hartmanni (1.7%), Blastocystis hominis (2.2%), Chilomastix mesnili (1.7%), Trichomonas hominis (0.7%), E. histolytica/E. dispar (0.51%) and Iodamoeba butschlii (0.45%) were the most prevalent protozoa detected with microscopy. Of the eight microscopy-positive E. histolytica/E. dispar samples, six were identified as E. dispar by PCR/gel electrophoresis, whereas E. histolytica was not detected at all. Although Zahedan is an area with poor hygiene located in a tropical area near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the prevalence of E. histolytica and E. dispar here compared with other parasites and infectious diseases is unexpectedly low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University, M.C., P.O. Box: 19395-4719, Yeman Street, Chamran Expressway, Tehran, Iran. alihaghi2000@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haghighi
authors.forename: Alireza Salimi
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Khorashad
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nazemalhosseini Mojarad
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kazemi
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rostami Nejad
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasti
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology