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PREVALENCE OF ENTERIC PROTOZOA IN HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)–POSITIVE AND HIV-NEGATIVE MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

A prospective, comparative study of the prevalence of enteric protozoa was determined among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)– positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) in Sydney, Australia. A total of 1,868 patients submitted stool specimens; 1,246 were from MSM (628 HIV positive and 618 HIV positive) and 622 from non-MSM were examined over a 36-month period. A total of 651 (52.2%) stool specimens from MSM were positive for protozoa compared with 85 (13%) from non-MSM. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis hominis, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba histolytica/dispar complex, Entamoeba hartmanni, Iodamoeba butschlii, and Enteromonas hominis detected between MSM and non-MSM (P < 0.001). The only notable difference between HIV-negative and HIV-positive MSM was that HIV-infected MSM were found to more likely have a Cryptosporidium parvum infection. Entamoeba histolytica was found in 3 patients, E. dispar in 25, and E. moshkovskii in 17, all of whom were MSM. When compared with a control group, MSM were significantly more likely to harbor intestinal protozoa and have multiple parasites present. The results of this study show high rates of enteric parasites persist in MSM and highlight the importance of testing for intestinal parasites in MSM. This is the first report of E. moshkovskii from MSM.

Received August 20, 2006. Accepted for publication November 7, 2006.

^* Address correspondence to Damien Stark, Department of Microbiology, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst 2010, New South Wales, Australia. E-mail: dstark{at}stvincents.com.au

Authors’ addresses: Damien Stark, Rashmi Fotedar, Sebastian van Hal, Nigel Beebe, Deborah Marriott, and John Harkness, Department of Microbiology, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst 2010, New South Wales, Australia. Nigel Beebe and John T. Ellis, Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious Diseases, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway 1401, New South Wales, Australia.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Stark, J. L. N. Barratt, S. van Hal, D. Marriott, J. Harkness, and J. T. Ellis Clinical Significance of Enteric Protozoa in the Immunosuppressed Human Population Clin. Microbiol. Rev., October 1, 2009; 22(4): 634 - 650. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Stark, S. van Hal, R. Fotedar, A. Butcher, D. Marriott, J. Ellis, and J. Harkness Comparison of Stool Antigen Detection Kits to PCR for Diagnosis of Amebiasis J. Clin. Microbiol., May 1, 2008; 46(5): 1678 - 1681. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Fotedar, D. Stark, N. Beebe, D. Marriott, J. Ellis, and J. Harkness Laboratory Diagnostic Techniques for Entamoeba Species Clin. Microbiol. Rev., July 1, 2007; 20(3): 511 - 532. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]