Seasonal Variation of Intestinal Parasitic Infections Among HIV-Positive Patients in Benin City, Nigeria

BACKGROUND There are a number of conflicting studies on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in HIV infection with regards to different seasons. This study was conducted to determine seasonal influence on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in HIV-positive persons in Benin City, Nigeria. METHODS Stool specimens from 2000 HIV-positive patients and 500 controls (HIV-negative individuals) were examined for ova, cysts or parasites using standard procedures. RESULTS More intestinal parasitic infections were observed in the rainy season (17.6%) than the dry season (12.3%) (OR = 1.526, 95% CI = 1.184, 1.967, p = 0.0013). Male patients (18.3) had more episodes of intestinal parasitic infections than their female (13.7) counterparts (OR = 1.403, 95% CI = 1.092, 1.803, p = 0.0096). CONCLUSION Cryptosporidium species and Strongyloides stercoralis were the only parasitic agents that were associated with rainy season.