Prevalence of Intestinal Protozoan Parasites among Children attending the Hevi Pediatric Hospital in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of intestinal protozoan infection among children in Duhok Province, North of Iraq, from October 2022 to May 2023. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 740 children attending Hevi Pediatric Hospital, Duhok Province, Iraq. Firstly, all collected stool samples were examined directly by preparing a wet stool smear for the detection of the vegetative stage (Trophozoite) of both Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia. Thereafter, all stool samples were preserved at -22°C until further use for identifying cysts of protozoa and oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum by the Telmman concentration stool method. The children were within the age range of 1-14 years. Out of 740 stool samples collected, 205 (27.7%) cases were positive for intestinal protozoan infections as follows: 160 (78.0%) children tested positive for E. histolytica, 35 (17.1%) were positive for C. parvum, and only 10 (4.9%) were positive for G. lamblia. Nonetheless, the results indicated a statistically significant difference between the prevalence of E. histolytica, C. parvum, and G. lamblia infections across different age groups (P 0.05). The highest infection rates of intestinal protozoa, namely E. histolytica, C. parvum, and G. lamblia, were reported in the age ranges of 5-9 years (53.75%, 25.0%, and 60.0%), 1-4 years (28.75%, 20.0%, and 30.0%), and 10-14 years (17.55%, 8.6%, and 10.0%), respectively. In this study, the prevalence of amoebiasis and cryptosporidiosis was reported to be higher than in other studies performed in Iraq, while the prevalence of giardiasis was reported at a lower rate than the rate reported previously in Iraq, especially in Duhok. These infections continue to pose a challenging public health issue, necessitating the implementation of stronger and more effective preventative measures.