ABSTRACT

Parasitic diseases are common throughout the world. Evaluation of regional epidemiological data is needed to determine protective measures and treatment strategies.

This study evaluates the parasites detected in Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Parasitology Laboratory.

Of the 87,100 clinical samples evaluated in the study, 85,707 (98.4%) were from stool samples. Parasites were shown in 3,681 (4.2%) of the samples from 2,906 patients. The most common parasites were Giardia intestinalis (40%), Blastocystis spp. (22%), Entamoeba coli (12%), Dientamoeba fragilis (9%), Enterobius vermicularis (5%), Echinococcus spp. (4%) and Taenia spp. (3%) respectively. When distribution among years was evaluated, G. intestinalis, the most common parasite, had a tendency to decrease after 2004 whereas cases with Blastocystis spp. showed a clear increase in 2011 and 2012. The downward trend in parasite-positive cases also stopped in the last two years, in parallel to the increase of Blastocystis spp. During the study, Leishmania spp. and Plasmodium spp. were detected in four patients each.

This study evaluated the results of a laboratory that scans a large number of patients in our region. Data obtained from different regions will allow to direct strategies to diagnose, treat and implement preventive measures against parasitic diseases in our country. (Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2013; 37: 97-101)

Keywords: Parasitic diseases, intestinal parasites, Giardia intestinalis, Blastocystis, Ankara