Background: The role of opportunistic infections in accelerating disease progression in HIV-
positive individuals, leading to quick death, is still receiving serious attention. The objective of this
study was to determine the prevalence of
Isospora belli
infections in HIV-positive patients in Edo
State, Nigeria between August 2007 and March 2008.
Methods: A total of 268 samples from HIV-positive patients and 20 samples from HIV-negative
patients were processed using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique to microscopically
identify the presence of
I. belli oocysts.
Results: The overall prevalence of the coccidian was 3.1%. Gender and age had no correlation
with the prevalence of the parasite (P > 0.05). There was a significant relationship between isosporiasis
and CD4+ T cell counts in HIV-positive patients (OR=11.388, 95% CI=2.797 - 46.371, P=0.0004).
Conclusions: Routine investigation of
I. belli in HIV-positive subjects is advocated in tertiary
health institutions.
