Intensity of Microsporidia spores among HIV-infected patients and their Non-HIV-infected counterparts in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

Background: Microsporidia infection still remains a public health challenge in immuno-compromised subjects particularly in developing countries. Objective: A study was carried out among HIV-infected patients at a University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Nigeria to determine the prevalence and intensity of microsporidiasis. Methods: Seven hundred and fifty stool samples were collected from HIV-infected patients and 375 samples from their non-infected counterparts matched for age, sex and socio-economic variables. Microsporidia species were characterized morphologically, using Chromoptrope 2R staining technique. Pure microsporidia spores were isolated from the stool samples by the Ficoll-Hipaque technique. The size of microsporidial were confirmed by the comparison with the reference specimen (No. UN3373) obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta, USA. Results: The overall prevalence of microsporidia isolates in the stool samples of 750 HIV-infected patients was 42.4%. This infection rate was significantly higher than among the HIV-non-infected subjects (19.2%) (P<0.05). The intensity of microsporidia spores among HIV-infected patients (mean ± SD=176±52.3) was significantly higher than the intensity among the non-infected control group (mean ± SD=23±8.2) (P<0.05). This intensity spores among HIV-infected patients who were on HAART treatment and among those who were not on HAART treatment were similar. In general, the intensity of microsporidia spores by age, sex, marital status, occupation and education was significantly higher among HIV-infected patients than among their HIV-non-infected counterpart (P<0.05).  Conclusion: Microsporidiasis is prevalent among immuno-compromised (HIV/AIDS) patients with a very high intensity. Therefore, it is highly desirable that a drug of choice for the treatment of microsporidiasis should be developed. Health education campaigns to promote awareness, prevention and control of microsporidiasis should be mounted.