Abstract
Stool samples were obtained from individuals admitted to three hospitals in Basra during November 1997-May 1998. Of 40 patients with sickle-cell anaemia, 25 (62.5%) had parasitic infections. In the apparently healthy comparison group, 26 of 175 individuals (14.8%) had intestinal parasitic infections, a statistically significant difference. The most common intestinal parasites isolated in the sickle-cell patients were Blastocystis hominis (36%) and Giardia lamblia (28%). The isolation rate of Cryptosporidium species in sickle-cell patients (5%) was not significantly different from that in apparently healthy individuals (1.14%). We report for the first time the isolation of Isospora belli from a sickle-cell patient in Iraq and the Mediterranean region.
MeSH terms
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Adolescent
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Adult
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Age Distribution
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Aged
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Anemia, Sickle Cell / complications*
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Animals
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Blastocystis Infections / epidemiology
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Blastocystis hominis
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Case-Control Studies
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Child
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Cryptosporidiosis / diagnosis
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Cryptosporidiosis / epidemiology*
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Cryptosporidiosis / etiology*
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Cryptosporidiosis / parasitology
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Feces / parasitology
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Giardia lamblia
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Giardiasis / epidemiology
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Hospitals, General
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Hospitals, Teaching
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Humans
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Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / diagnosis
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Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / epidemiology*
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Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / etiology*
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Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / parasitology
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Iraq / epidemiology
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Isosporiasis / epidemiology
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Patient Admission / statistics & numerical data
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Population Surveillance
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Prevalence
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Sex Distribution