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. 2019 Aug 12;5(8):e02228.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02228. eCollection 2019 Aug.

Intestinal parasitism in pediatric oncology children receiving chemotherapy: unexpected low prevalence

Ayman A El-Badry  1   2 , Samar S El Sayed  2 , Rafiaa R Hussein  2 , Youssef M Said  3 , Abeer S Al-Antably  4 , Marwa A Hassan  4
Affiliations

Intestinal parasitism in pediatric oncology children receiving chemotherapy: unexpected low prevalence

Ayman A El-Badry et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Background: Children with underlying malignancies and those on chemotherapy are at risk for having intestinal parasitic infections, which can lead to a severe course and death. This cross-sectional study was done to assess the copro-parasitological and copro-molecular prevalence of entero-parasites in children with malignancies and those on chemotherapy.

Procedure: Stool samples were collected from 137 Egyptian hospitalized cancerous children with different malignancies in the National Cancer Institute, and receiving chemotherapy.Faecal samples were examined microscopically. Genomic copro-DNA was extracted from fecal samples and amplified by 3 separate nPCR assays targeting Cryptosporidium, G. intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica complex.

Result: The overall prevalence of enteroparasites was 6.6 % (9 cases). Only Giardia copro-DNA was encountered in 2 (1.4%) faecal samples of patients. Coproscopy detected parasites in 7 cases: Blastocystis spp. in 5 cases (3.6%), Hymenolepis nana in 1 case (0.7%) and Ascaris lumbericoides in 1 case (0.7%).

Conclusion: Low prevalence may be due to patient's use of prophylactic anti-parasitic and anti-fungal drugs, a standard protocol, basic hygienic practices and good nursing all of which are preventive against enteroparasites transmission. Among studied variables only diarrhoeic individuals who had a solid tumor, and soft/liquid stool with mucus and blood were predictors of intestinal parasitism.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Children; Egypt; Infectious disease; Intestinal parasites; Oncology; Parasitology; Pediatrics; Protozoa; Tumor.

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