Lophomonas Infection in Patients with Respiratory Diseases in Southeastern Iran Using Wet Mount, Giemsa and Trichrome Staining

Background: In developing countries, pulmonary infections are one of the major causes of death because the incidence and prevalence of pulmonary diseases have increased dramatically. Several species of protozoa can be found in the respiratory system. Pulmonary protozoan infections are increasingly identified in clinical settings. Protozoans within the genus Lophomonas are endocommensals of the hindgut of arthropods. Recently the trophozoite forms of Lophomonas have been observed in human tissues. Little is known about the occurrence of these protozoa in the Iranian population.Objective: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of Lophomonas in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from the patients with respiratory diseases referred in Kerman province, southeast of Iran.Methods: A total of 200 patients were selected by simple random sampling. BAL samples were transferred to the Parasitology lab, direct smears were prepared for each specimen and two staining methods, Giemsa and Trichrome were performed for Lophomonas microscopical identification. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.Results: Lophomonas trophozoites were found in 48 (24%) patients, at least in one of the methods. The mean age of the patients was 58.3 years (58.1 in men, 58.4 in women). Out of 200 samples, 45 (22.5%), 30 (15%), and 11(5.5%) were positive by wet mount microscopy, Giemsa, and Trichrome staining, respectively.Conclusion: This study presented the first finding of Lophomonas infection in patients with pulmonary symptoms in southeast Iran.