Background. Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) infection has been long considered among the sexually transmitted diseases that possesses a clear effect on women’s health especially in the childbearing period. Methods. A 234 females of age range 18-45 years old attending the Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic of Kasr El Aini Hospitals were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. The taken vaginal swabs were subjected to wet mount microscopy, Giemsa stain, modified Diamond’s culture, and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) amplification. Multiattribute and analytical hierarchy processes were conducted to detect laboratory utility. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done to detect the multiple risk factors that may be associated with Trichomonas infection. Results. Based on nPCR, the prevalence of trichomoniasis was 26.9%. Wet mount, Giemsa stain, and culture showed 100% specificity but of low sensitivity (28.57%, 28.57%, and 57.14%, respectively). On the multivariate analysis, nPCR showed the highest rank for diagnostic performance and culture had the lowest rank. For univariate analysis, there was a significant correlation between T. vaginalis infection and vaginal discharge, burning sensation, dyspareunia, and the use of intrauterine device (IUD) ( value < 0.05). Conclusion. The routine screening of trichomoniasis using nPCR was reliable, sensitive, and specific. Also, it could financially be considered a more suitable option in batch screening. Significant higher rates of infection were reported among IUD users compared to condom or hormonal-based methods.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hyperglycemic state wherein the patient has a high level of bloodglucose. People with diabetes are vulnerable to infection with opportunistic intestinal parasitesas it is considered a state of immune suppression.The study evaluated the opportunistic protozoa co-infected with Helicobacter pylori among156 DM patients and estimated the risk factors. Early morning stool samples were obtainedfrom each participant and examined for H. pylori and intestinal protozoa. The overall rate ofprotozoa was 79.5% (124/156), which were Blastocystis hominis, Cryptosporidium parvumand Isospora belli were detected in 13.5%, 29.5%, &16.7% respectively. Giardia intestinalisand Entamoeba histolytica/dispar were in 9% & 8.3% respectively. The overall rate of H. pyloriwas 19.9%, and its co-infection with I. belli, C. parvum, E. histolytica/dispar, G. intestinaliswas 6.4%, 32.2%, 12.9% & 9.6% respectively. A significant relation was between H.pylori and diarrhea (P <0.001), C. parvum and abdominal pain (P=0.001), diarrhea (P <0.001),and animal contact (P <0.001), but I. belli showed a significant association with diarrhea (P =0.002), flatulence (P = 0.027), and animal contact (P = 0.002).

Background: Although several clinical and scientific evidences confirmed Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) pathogenicity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), host biochemical risk factors involved in IBS manifestations are still ambiguous. Objective: the present study aimed at investigating the interactions between B. hominis genotypes and host biochemical factors and microbiota. Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 167 stool samples from patients attending the Internal Medicine Department, of Kafrelsheik University Hospital were examined. Using specific sequenced-tagged site (STS) primers, samples positive for B. hominis were subtyped. As an accomplishment of a recent experimental study by colleagues that involved lactose intolerance and gut inflammation in blastocystosis, we assessed reducing sugar and pH in stool samples from patients. Also, lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in B. hominis infections either solely or coexisting with Giardia intestinalis was measured. To assess further interactions, Blastocystis-infected stool was cultured for the predominant overgrown microorganisms. Also, to assess Blastocystis-normal flora interactions, the parasite was incubated in vitro with Escherichia coli and Candida non-albicans. Results: Of 167 cases, twenty-seven (16.1%) were molecularly confirmed harboring B. hominis. Genotype 3 was solely detected with higher prevalence in summer and spring. There is a consistent chemical association of carbohydrate intolerance and acidic fecal pH with genotype-3 of B. hominis that seemed to augment IBS-like manifestations. Co-culture of B. hominis with E. coli and Candida showed their eminent growth whereas the parasite was suppressed. B. hominis with Giardia species co-infections showed a significant rise in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme in fecal samples compared with B. hominis solely. Conclusion: Genotype-3 B. hominis is predominant and closely related to IBS-like manifestations. B. hominis infections appeared to be related to carbohydrate intolerance, fecal acidity, and enhanced effect on the growth of E. coli and C. non-albicans; besides, blastocystosis either solely or co-existed with giardiasis increases fecal LDH.

Molecular detection of E. histolytica and its differentiation from the non-pathogenic species as E. dispar and E. moshkovskii, also evaluation of the relationship between intestinal amebiasis and level of fecal calprotectin (FC) as an inflammatory marker. The overall prevalence of E. histolytica complex in 294 samples included in this study was 16.6% by microscopic examination and only 14.6% proved to be positive by nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR); E. histolytica (3.7%), E. dispar (6.4%) and E. moshkovskii (4.5%). Statistical analysis was performed including many variables and showed no significance except for the presence of blood and mucus. Fecal calprotectin was positive in 10.5% of the study population and 54.4% in association with E. histolytica indicating intestinal inflammation. Irritable bowel disease (IBD). Frequency of males were higher in E. histolytica and E. dispar, while females had higher infection rates with E. moshkovskii

Cryptosporidium spp. is considered one of the most common diarrhea-causing protozoa. This cross-sectional study was designed for molecular detection of Cryptosporidium spp., comparing results with microscopy using Acid Fast (AF) staining, and to determine predominance of cryptosporidiosis according to patients’ age and gender. Methodology: Stool samples were collected from 150 diarrheic patients attending outpatient clinics of Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University. Samples were examined microscopically by direct wet mount before and after sample concentration, and then subjected to copro-PCR assays. The results showed that out of 150 samples subjected to nPCR, only 9 (6%) samples werepositive for Cryptosporidium spp. and of those, 2 (1.3%) were positive by microscopy using AF stain. Microscopy showed high specificity but lower sensitivity (22%) compared to nPCR. Six of the 9 molecularly positive cases (66.7%) were children under 9 years and predominantly females with statistical significance.