Investigation of Parasitic Infection Rate in Stool Samples Submitted to Uludag University Parasitology Laboratory Between 2011-2015

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality in undeveloped countries, particularly in children. These infections may cause loss in physical and mental progress of children in particular, and loss of work and labour force in adults. Materials and Methods: In this study, patients who applied with various gastrointestinal complaints to the clinics of the Uludag University Medical Faculty, were thoroughly investigated for the presence of intestinal parasites. A total of 8981 stool and 854 cellophane tape samples were parasitologically evaluated. All stool samples were prepared using formal-ethyl acetate concentration method for helminth ova and protozoan cysts, and examined in lugol preparations microscopically with 10x and 40x magnifications. Preparations were examined by using oil-immersion objectives (100x) following trichrome and modified Erlich-Ziehl-Nielsen staining for the diagnosis of intestinal and coccidian protozoa, respectively. For the detection of Entamoeba histolytica adezin antigen in stools, commercial ELISA kit (Wampole® E. histolytica II Test Kit; TechLab, USA) was used. Results: In this study, one or more parasites were found in 327 (3.6%) of the 8981 stool samples (including nonpathogenic protozoa). Enterobius vermicularis eggs were detected in 29 (3.4%) out of 854 samples by using the cellophane tape method. Of the parasite detected cases, 165 (50.5%) were female and 162 (49.5%) were male. Giardia intestinalis (0.9%) and E. vermicularis (3.4%) were the most frequently detected protozoon and helmint parasites, respectively. The parasites were detected mostly in summer months (26.3%). Conclusion: Although the prevalence rates of intestinal parasites were lower than those in the previous studies carried out in the city, it is seen that the presence of intestinal parasites is still a serious public health problem in our region