The Study of Lophomonas Blattarum Infection in Children with Respiratory Symptoms: A Descriptive Clinical Study in North East of Iran

Background: Lophomonas blattarum is protozoan generally parasitizes in the intestinal tracts of some arthropods. It can infect adults and children with unspecific respiratory symptoms. We aimed to investigate the frequency of Lophomonas blattarum in children with respiratory symptoms in North East of Iran. Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty-six children with respiratory symptoms were investigated in a descriptive-analytical study using Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) according to enumeration method in March 2016 to March 2017.Data was collected via a check list, prospectively. All had Bronchoscopy and chest X-ray. The data were analyzed using SPSS program. Results: Of the 156 studied children,40.4% (n=63) of patients with the average age of 5.11±2.9 years were positive for L. blattarum infection. In positive cases, 42.9% (n=27) were male. There was a significant relationship between gender and Lophomonas infection (p=0.0006). The most common respiratory symptoms were cough, fever, wheeze and tachypnea. Radiography of infected patients showed pulmonary infiltration (16.7%), unilateral lung hyperinflation (23.1%), consolidation (19.9%), and lung collapse (14.7%). Underlying diseases were detected in 4 infected patients. Bronchoscopy showed abnormal results in 22 patients (14.1%). Most common abnormalities were in order: mucus plaque (22.7%), left bronchomalacia (18.2%), left bronchial stenosis (18.2%) and foreign body aspiration (13.6%). Conclusion: Generally, 40.4% of children with respiratory symptoms were positive for L. blattarum infection. It is suggested to consider L. blattarum as a cause of pulmonary infections in patients with pulmonary symptoms.