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. 2021 Dec;45(4):1026-1033.
doi: 10.1007/s12639-021-01398-7. Epub 2021 May 3.

Pre-and post-treatment evaluation of intestinal inflammation in Giardia and Blastocystis infected children: a community-based study

Heba Said Ibrahim  1 , Aziza Ibrahim Salem  1 , Nessma Magdy Abd El-Rahman Ahmed  1 , Hend Aly El-Taweel  1
Affiliations

Pre-and post-treatment evaluation of intestinal inflammation in Giardia and Blastocystis infected children: a community-based study

Heba Said Ibrahim et al. J Parasit Dis. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Giardia intestinalis and Blastocystis hominis cause frequent infections in children in developing countries. However, the role of intestinal inflammation in their pathogenesis is still poorly understood. Faecal calprotectin (FC) level is used as an indicator of intestinal inflammation and neutrophil migration in the intestinal tract. The present study aimed to evaluate intestinal inflammation by measuring FC level among children infected with either G. intestinalis or B. hominis before and after treatment. Stool samples were collected from 282 children inhabiting a rural area in Egypt and examined microscopically for intestinal parasites. FC level was estimated in a group of children infected with G. intestinalis (n = 12) or B. hominis (n = 12) before and 3 weeks after receiving nitazoxanide (200 mg twice daily for 3 days) and compared to a control group (n = 18) of parasite-free children. Cases of mixed infection were excluded. Nitazoxanide cure rate was 83% in both infections with a remarkable reduction of infection intensity in uncured children. The difference in FC levels between infected children and controls was not statistically significant. Also, the difference between the pre- and post-treatment estimations was not statistically significant. Elevated levels were observed before treatment in three children (two infected with G. intestinalis and one with B. hominis) who displayed normal post-treatment levels. Although G. intestinalis and B. hominis infections appear to cause no remarkable intestinal inflammation, they may induce abnormally elevated FC levels in a subset of children.

Keywords: Blastocystis; Calprotectin; Children; Giardia; Intestinal inflammation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestNo conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart showing parasites detected in the study population and the groups evaluated for FC level
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Nitazoxanide cure rate in G. intestinalis and B. hominis infected children according to intensity of infection
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
FC levels (mg/kg) in children infected with Giardia (n = 12) and Blastocystis (n = 12) compared to healthy controls (n = 17) and the corresponding post-treatment levels in infected children
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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