Volume 25 , Issue 2 , December 2023 , Pages 423-429
1 Nursing Department, Sulaimani Technical Institute, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Background: Cystoisospora belli inhabits epithelial cells of the upper part of human
small intestine, producing resistant oocysts that are infrequently detected in stool
specimens but can spread and cause infection. Objectives: To determine the rate of C.
belli infection among children and correlate the rate of infection with the patient's
variables. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 156 fresh stool samples
were collected from children suffering from diarrhea or abdominal discomfort in Dr
Jamal Ahmed Rashid Pediatric Teaching Hospital, Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, from July to
August 2021. Slides for direct wet mount and fixed smears stained with modified ZiehlNeelson stain were prepared for each sample. Additionally, the correlation between the
parasitic infection rate and patients' variables (age, gender, residency, duration of
infection, and type of drinking water/stool) was determined. Results: None examined
stool samples were positive for C. belli oocyst by direct wet mount technique, while the
modified ZN staining method revealed 42 (26.92%) positive samples. The highest rate of
C. belli infection (15.38%) was found among children aged 4-6 years (p=0.000), male
patients (15.38%), patients who lived in an urban area (23.08%) (p≥0.05), had infection
for 1-3 days (15.38%) (p=0.038), used bottle water (15.38%) (p=0.02), and patients had
liquid/semiliquid stool type (11.54%) (p=0.485). On the other hand, modified ZN stain
showed coinfections with other protozoa, including Cryptosporidium spp.,
Microsporidia spp, Cyclospora spp. and Blastocystis hominins at rates of 10.26%,
5.13%, 3.85% and 1.28%, respectively. Conclusions: There was a relatively high rate of
C. belli infection among children in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, despite other types of protozoa