Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among patients attending a tertiary care hospital from August 2022 to May 2024

Objective: To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and to identify temporal trends over a two-year period among patients attending a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Microbiology Department, AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal. Stool samples sent for diagnostic screening from August 2022 to May 2024 were included in the analysis. Complete patient details and blood parameters were retrieved from hospital records. Results: Out of the 532 subjects, 64.7% were males and 35.3% were females, with 39.8% of the children aged between 0-18 years. The prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was 6.8%. The highest prevalence of parasitosis was observed in the age group over 60 years, followed by 46-60 age year group, at 14.1% and 9.5% respectively. The lowest prevalence was found in the age group of 31-45 years at 2.2%. Entamoeba histolytica/dispar showed the highest prevalence at 61.1%, followed by Giardia spp. at 16.7%. Multi-parasitism was observed in only 2.8 % of the subjects. Conclusions: There was an annual increase in the trend of intestinal parasitic infections over the 2 year period from 2022 to 2024. Therefore, important interventions are warranted, such as enhancing sanitary conditions, implementing periodic deworming programs, and educating the public about the risks of faecal contamination of water, the importance of drinking boiled water, and promoting environmental hygienic practices.