Prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of a tertiary hospital in Benin city, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasitic infections have been described as constituting the greatest single worldwide cause of illness and disease. AIM: The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in relation to sex and age as well as seasons of the year in Benin city, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The stool samples were processed using saline and iodine mounts and examined microscopically for ova and cysts of parasites. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was 3.9% while gender and season had no correlation with the prevalence of intestinal parasites (P = 0.548, P = 0.696). There was a significant relationship between intestinal parasitic infection and age (P < 0.033). Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent (51.4%) while Entamoeba histolytica had the least prevalence (5.4%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study concluded that 36 patients were infected with various intestinal parasites and that age significantly affected the prevalence of parasitic infections. Effective treatment of infected patients and improved sanitary habits is advocated.