Assessment of Blastocystis spp. Infection in hemodialysis patients in two centers of the metropolitan area of rio de janeiro

Nycole Abreu Gama, Yara Leite

Abstract

Blastocystis spp. is the most common protozoan worldwide. Hemodialysis (HD) patients are immunosuppressed and may be susceptible to infections by opportunistic pathogens. This study aims to evaluate Blastocystis spp. infection in HD patients. Fecal samples were collected from 97 patients and 42 healthy individuals from the same social and economic environment. The prevalence of Blastocystis spp. was 41.2% among patients and 45.2% among controls (P=0.66). Monoparasitism was more frequent than polyparasitism in both groups. Our findings suggest that Blastocystis spp. is relevant in HD patients. Although frequently neglected, investigation for enteroparasites may be helpful for clinical management of HD patients.