[Parasites found in HIV-seropositive patients]

For 41 months, the presence of parasites was investigated in a seropositive HIV population with the clinical characteristics of stages 3 and 4 according to the OMS classification; of 212 fecal samples belonging to 135 patients which were analyzed, 53.33% presented enteroparasites. A direct parasitological exam and a Ritchie concentration were performed on the feces collected in formol 10%. Two smears were stained with Safranine 1% and two with modified Ziehl-Nielsen to identify Cryptosporidium sp. The detected frequencies were: Cryptosporidium The detected frequencies were: Cryptosporidium sp. 11.11%; I. belli 2.96%; G. lamblia 11.85%; B. hominis 26.66%; A. lumbricoides 2.96%; E. vermicularis 1.48%; H. nana 0.74%; E. coli 13.33%; E. nana 5.93%; Ch. mesnilii 2.22% and I. butschlii 0.74%. There were 46 monoparasitized patients, 19 biparasitized, 5 triparasitized and 2 tetraparasitized. Furthermore, 17 bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and 194 sputa were processed, collected in formol 10% and centrifuged to exhaustion; 10 smears were prepared with sediment and were stained with toluidine blue. Groccot (Gomori) coloration was used to confirm doubtful cases. In 47% of the BAL and in 22,68% of the sputa P. carinii was diagnosed. This represents 34.68%. The percentage of positive cases was: 30.88% for those patients who sent a single sputum, 36.84% for those who sent more than one and 27.27% for BAL. Finally, in 7 patients who sent BAL and sputa, there were 2 positive and 2 negative cases in both materials, while P. carinii was diagnosed in 3 patients only in their BAL.