Intestinal Parasitosis and its Association with CD4+ T Cell Count and Viral Load among People Living with HIV in Parasite Endemic Settings of Northwest Ethiopia

PURPOSE: To study intestinal parasitosis and its association with viral load and CD4+ T cell count in HIV-infected individuals at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2019. Three hundred and sixteen study participants were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using structured questionnaire. Stool samples were collected and examined using direct saline, formol ether concentration technique and modified acid fast staining. CD4+ T cell counts and viral load were determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (BD FACS) and COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HI2CAP assay, respectively. Data were entered into Epi Data 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 20 software for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed using a binary logistic regression model. P values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was 24.7% (78/316). The most commonly detected parasite was Cryptosporidium species with 5.4% (17/316), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides with 5.1% (16/316). There was a significant association with low CD4+ T cell count (AOR: 3.207; 95% CI: 1.237, 8.317), high viral load (AOR: 2.933; 95% CI: 1.326, 6.489), individuals aged 31–40 years (AOR: 0.305; 95% CI: 0.124, 0.751) and individuals aged 41–50 years (AOR: 0.261; 95% CI: 0.101, 0.671). CONCLUSION: In this study, prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was high and was associated with low CD4+ T cell count and high viral load. Therefore, screening of HIV patients, especially those with low CD4+ T-cell count and high viral load, particularly for opportunistic intestinal parasitic infections would be of utmost importance in the efforts to prevent and control opportunistic infections in HIV patients.