Opportunistic intestinal protozoa in chronic diarrhoeic immunosuppressed patients

Chronic diarrhoea accompanied by weight loss is a common and often debilitating problem in immunocompromized patients, receiving chemotherapeutic agents. In these patients, the intestinal opportunistic parasites probably played a major role in causing this clinical manifestation. The present work, aims to search for these parasites. Special stains for each parasite were used to differentiate it easily from the fecal elements, obviating the need for diagnostic invasive techniques especially used in microsporidial infection. The detected parasites were, Giardia lamblia (17.7%) best seen by iron haematoxylin stain. Coccidian oocysts (Cryptosporidia; 13.3% Isospora belli; 2.2%) were clearly seen by using Ziehl-Neelsen and Chromotrope-based stains. The Gram positive spores of Enterocytozoon bieneusi were (4.4%) and best seen by using chromotrope-based stain, where as Giemsa failed in their diagnosis.