Korean J Parasitol.  2005 Mar;43(1):1-5. 10.3347/kjp.2005.43.1.1.

Parasitic infections in HIV-infected patients who visited Seoul National University Hospital during the period 1995-2003

• Guk SM
• Seo M
• Park YK
• Oh MD
• Choe KW
• Kim JL
• Choi MH
• Hong ST
• Chai JY

• KMID: 1720492
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2005.43.1.1

Abstract

The prevalence of parasitic infections was investigated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients (n = 105) who visited Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea, during the period from 1995 to 2003. Fecal samples were collected from 67 patients for intestinal parasite examinations, and sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 60 patients for examination of Pneumocystis carinii. Both samples were obtained from 22 patients. Thirty-three (31.4%) of the 105 were found to have parasitic infections; Cryptosporidium parvum (10.5%; 7/67), Isospora belli (7.5%; 5/67), Clonorchis sinensis (3.0%; 2/67), Giardia lamblia (1.5%; 1/67), Gymnophalloides seoi (1.5%; 1/67), and Pneumocystis carinii (28.3%; 17/60). The hospital records of the 11 intestinal parasite-infected patients showed that all suffered from diarrhea. This study shows that parasitic infections are important clinical complications in HIV-infected patients in the Republic of Korea.

Keyword

HIV-infected patients; intestinal parasites; Cryptosporidium parvum; Isospora belli; Pneumocystis carinii; opportunistic parasites

MeSH Terms

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*parasitology
Adult
Feces/parasitology
Female
HIV Infections/*complications
Humans
Korea/epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Parasitic Diseases/*epidemiology
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't