Prevalence of Microsporidiasis and Associated Complications among HIV-Positive Patients in North-Central Nigeria

A study was carried out among HIV-infected patients at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, between January 2023 and February 2024 to determine the prevalence of microsporidiasis among HIV-infected individuals. Methods: Seven hundred and fifty (750) stool samples were collected from HIV-infected patients and 375 samples from their non-infected counterparts (matched for age, sex and socio-economic variables). Chromoptrope 2R staining and Ficoll-Hipaque techniques were used to isolate pure microsporidia spores from the stool samples. Results: The prevalence of microsporidia isolates in the stool samples of 750 HIV-infected patients (42.4%) was significantly higher than among the HIV-non-infected subjects (19.2%) (P<0.05). The highest prevalence (77.3%) of microsporidia spores was recorded among the HIV-infected patients in the age group of 52–61 years while the least prevalence (26.4%) was from the age group of 2-11years. Whereas the prevalence of microsporidiasis was higher in females (36.1%) than in males (33.1%), the difference was however not statistically significant (P>0.05). There were 13 observed complications of microsporidiasis among the HIV-infected patients and the prevalences of these complications were significant P<0.05. Conclusion: Microsporidiasis is prevalent among immuno-compromised (HIV/AIDS) patients with varying complications. Therefore, it is desirable that a drug of choice for the treatment of microsporidiasis should be developed. Health education campaigns to promote awareness, prevention and control of microsporidiasis should be mounted and routine laboratory search and identification of microsporidia in hospitals should be made mandatory and reportable.