ISSN: 2639-2038
Authors: Banihashemi SM, Soleymani E, Abdizadeh R, Davoodi L, Haghi MM and Khalili B*
Background and Aim: Parasitic infections, especially opportunistic parasites, can cause serious problems of immunocompromised patients. This study aimed to evaluate parasitic infections in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy as a risk factor for parasitic infections. Methods: In this study, 250 stool samples were collected from cancer patients undergoing Chemotherapy and sent to the parasitology laboratory of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. All samples were examined macroscopically and microscopically through the direct method and a specific acid-fast staining method. To confirm the microscopic results, the DNA of the isolated parasite was extracted using a Qiagen kit and the polymerase chain reaction was performed on positive samples with the specific primers. Results: In this study, 106 (42.4%) patients were male, 144 (57.6%) were female, 187 (74.8%) were living in urban areas, and 63 (25.2%) were living in rural areas. In terms of education level, most of the patients in this study were low level of literacy; 12 samples (4.8%) were infected with intestinal parasites; 7 (2.8%) cases were infected with Blastocystis hominis; and 5 (2%) patients were infected with Giardia lamblia. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that Blastocystis hominis and Giardia lamblia are the most prevalent parasite in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Due to the prevalence of this protozoan and its complications in the treatment of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, timely diagnosis and treatment of this infection are crucial.
Keywords: Intestinal protozoa; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Cancer patient; Shahrekord; chemotherapy
