Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Relation to COVID-19 in Baghdad City

Israa Abd Al-Khaliq; Ibrahim Mahdi; Abdullateef   Nasser

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2021.6622

Authors

Israa Abd Al-Khaliq Department of Microbiology, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0748-8320
Ibrahim Mahdi Department of Microbiology, PCR Lab, Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq
Abdullateef Nasser Department of Microbiology, Consultant Clinic Laboratory, Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.6622

Keywords:

Parasites, Protozoa, Metazoan, COVID-19

Abstract

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is resulted from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which initiated in China in December 2019. Parasites are efficient immune modulators because their ability to stimulate an immune response in infected persons.

AIM: This study aims to detect if there is a probable relationship between intestinal parasitic infections and COVID-19.

METHODS: Ninety patients consulted at Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital (Al-Shifa center) from October 2020 till April 2021, confirmed infection with COVID-19 by PCR. Stool examination was done for detecting intestinal parasites.

RESULTS: From 90 patients, males were 63 (70%), with median age 32 years, while females were 27 (30%), with age 24–44 years. Asymptomatic patients were 8.1 (9%), patients with moderate symptoms 22.5 (25%) cases, while the rest were 59.4 (66%) cases who required enter to the intensive care unit, with symptoms including cough (80%), dyspnea (74%), fever (56%), headache (43%), chest pain (37%), sore throat (35%), myalgia (32%), diarrhea (27%), and hemoptysis (3%).

CONCLUSION: There is inverse relationship between parasitic infection and COVID-19 infections, and it is significant to understand the action between parasites and microbiome, also its function in COVID-19 pathogenicity.

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