A Retrospective Analysis of Intestinal Parasitic Infection among Patients Attending a Semi-urban Teaching Hospital

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Background and study aim: : Intestinal parasitic diseases are quite common especially in developing countries leading to various adverse outcomes in children such as abdominal colic, anemia, mental retardation and reduced physical growth. Therefore, the current study aims to determine the frequency of intestinal parasite infection among patients attending our hospital. Patients and Methods: A total of 1762 patients whose stool samples were tested in the parasitology laboratory of Microbiology department for routine stool microscopy during the study period of 4 years (January 2016 to December 2019). Stool samples were examined microscopically by direct wet mount and following formalin-ether sedimentation technique.‎ Results: 334 out of 1762 stool samples revealed presence of parasites, hence, the frequency of intestinal parasitic infection was found to be 18.9%. The commonest parasite identified was Ascaris lumbricoides (37%), followed by Taenia species (16%), and least detected parasite was Enterobius vermicularis (3.5%). Males were infected more (57.5%) as compared to females. Also, mixed parasitic infection was more commonly found in males as compared to females (M: F=5:1). Conclusion: Intestinal parasitic infection causes severe morbidity especially in children. So, for its effective prevention and control, one needs to impart health education regarding improvement of environmental sanitation, promotion of deworming and maintenance of good personal hygiene.