Parasitologic infestation in hospital foodhandlers and risk to AIDS patients.

Among 56 foodhandlers annually examined for parasitologic infection from 1985 to 1990, 27 (48%) had at least one positive examination. One foodhandler was positive twice, one three times, and two four times. Three harbored two types of parasites. Thus, the total number of positive examinations was 39 (Table). Among these 39 positive results, 31 involved protozoa with direct transmission: Blastocystis hominis, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli, Lumblia intestinalis, E&amoeba histolytica, Entamoeba hartmanni, and Sarcocystis hominis. In 16 cases (41% of positive tests), the parasite was B hominis. The role of B hominis as a human pathogen is subject to debate. Some investigators1 believe that B hominis is not really a pathogen. Senay and MacPherso$ found no correlation between the presence of B hominis and symptoms. On the other hand, several investigators3v4 consider it a pathogen, particularly if found in large quantity in stool specimens. According to Qadri et a1,5 among 647 patients harboring B hominis, 239 (46.4%) had symptoms including abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. In acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, B hominis may produce mild persistent or recurrent diarrhea.“* In this study, the number of protozoa with direct transmission found in systematic parasitologic coprology of hospital foodhandlers was high. Some of the parasites found were well-known pathogens. For others, such as B hominis, pathogenicity is subject to debate. However, according to several investigators, the latter appears to be pathogenic in immunocompromised patients. Because the number of immunocompromised patients is increasing in hospitals, the risk of nosocomial infection cannot be neglected. Thus, it appears valid to perform such examinations routinely.