Prevalence and Factors Associated with Cryptosporidium Parvum Among HIV Sero-positive People Attending the HAART Clinic at Seeta Nazigo Health Center III Mukono District.

Abstract

Background: Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most common opportunistic intestinal parasites causing cryptosporidiosis a disease which is commonly found in HIV infected individuals and is currently listed as an AIDS defining illness by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Hunter, 2003). Globally, the prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium infection may account ten to twenty percent (10%to 20%) for the cases of diarrhea in HIV infected patients living in developed countries and as much as forty percent (40%) in under privileged countries (Florez, 2003). It is therefore still a burden in management of HIV patients as shown in this study that was done at the HAART clinic at Seeta-Nazigo Health centre III-Mukono district.

Purpose: The study was done to enable us establish the prevalence and associated factors of Cryptosporidium parvum among HIV positive patients attending the ART clinic at Seeta-Nazigo Health centre III-Mukono district.

Method: A cross sectional study design was used. The target population was HIV positive patients attending the ART clinic at Seeta-Nazigo Health Centre III. A random sampling method was used under strict ethical consideration and professionalism to achieve a sample size of 300. From these 33 patients were positive for Cryptosporidium and 267 negative by modified Ziehl Nielsen stain. The collected data was analyzed with the help of Microsoft excel displayed in form of texts, bar graphs, and tables.

Results: A prevalence of 11% was obtained from the study with 33 of the 300 participants being positive for cryptosporidium oocysts by modified Ziehl Nielsen. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium has then reduced as compared to the 40% by Florez (2003) done in Malaysia. No socio-demographic factor studied was found to be associated with Cryptosporidium oocysts.

Among the individual factors it was only history of diarrhea that was found to be associated with cryptosporidium oocysts with a p-value < 0.001.

Conclusion: 11% prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts still has paramount indication in the management of HIV patients. It was only history of diarrhea that was found to be associated with the prevalence of cryptosporidium oocysts