Balantidiasis, a zoonotic protozoan infection, in cattle and domestic pigs

Background: Balantidium coli, is a common -opportunistic protozoa of man and animals which causes gastroenteritis. A study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence of balantidiasis in cattle and pig irrespective of age and sex. Methods: In total, 200 faecal samples (150 cattle and 50 pigs) were collected during July to December, 2016 in Mymensingh district, Bangladesh and Modified Stoll’s Ova dilution technique was used to screen the faecal samples for B. coli under microscope. The cysts or trophozoites of B. coli were identified based on the morphological features using standard keys. Results: B. coli cysts and/or trophozoites were detected in 103 samples (51.5%), where comparatively high prevalence was observed in cattle (54.7%) than pig (42.0%). Prevalence of balantidiasis was significantly high in adult cattle (70.4%) compared to that of young (40.5%) and calves (31.3%) while the piglet (65.0%) showed high prevalence than the grower (31.3%) and adult (21.4%). In cattle, high rate of infection was recorded in female (58.8%) than male cattle (45.8%) which was statistically insignificant. On the other hand, high rate of infections was recorded in male pigs (54.5%) than female pigs (32.1%). Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study revealed high circulation of B. coli in cattle and pig in Mymensingh district, which poses potential threats to both animal and public health.

Opportunistic Intestinal Protozoan Parasitic Infection in HIV Positive Patient in Jamnagar, Gujarat

The case definition of AIDS encompasses a spectrum of infections and malignancies, labelled as opportunistic infections. In recent years, numerous studies have outlined the emergence of opportunistic gastrointestinal protozoa that have caused diarrhoeal illness among HIV - AIDS patients. Purpose of present study was to determine the prevalence of opportunistic intestinal protozoal parasites in HIV positive patients with or without diarrhoea. A total of 100 stool samples of HIV positive patients were examined for protozoal parasites by microscopy. Protozoal parasites were detected in 25 HIV positive patients; in 41.37 % of patients with diarrhoea and in 2.38% of patients without diarrhoea. Isospora belli appeared to be a predominant parasite associated with diarrhoea among HIV patients. Cryptosporidium revealed of its asymptomatic carriage along with its association with acute and chronic diarrhoea. Prevalence of Microsporidia and Cyclospora cayetenensis was found to be very low. Key words: HIV; diarrhoea; opportunistic protozoa. DOI: 10.3126/saarctb.v5i1.3079 SAARC J. Tuber. Lung Dis. HIV/AIDS 2008 Vol.5(1) 21-24