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Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis hominis infections among AIDS patients in Nanchang City., Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among AIDS patients in Nanchang City during the period between May and September, 2016. B. hominis infection was detected in patients'stool samples using a PCR assay, and the CD4 + T cell count was measured in subjects'blood samples. In addition, the risk factors of B. hominis infection in AIDS patients were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses., Results: A survey was conducted in Nanchang City from May to September 2016. A total of 505 AIDS patients were investigated, and the prevalence of B. hominis infection was 4.16%. Univariate analysis revealed that B. hominis infection correlated with the occupation ( χ 2 = 8.595, P = 0.049), education level ( χ 2 = 14.494, P = 0.001), type of daily drinking water ( χ 2 = 10.750, P = 0.020), root of HIV infections ( χ 2 = 8.755, P = 0.026) and receiving anti-HIV therapy ( χ 2 = 23.083, P = 0.001) among AIDS patients, and multivariate logistic regression analysis identified daily direct drinking of tap water as a risk factor of B. hominis infections [odds ratio ( OR ) = 7.988, 95% confidential interval ( CI ): (1.160, 55.004)] and anti-HIV therapy as a protective factor of B. hominis infection [ OR = 0.183, 95% CI : (0.049, 0.685)]., Conclusions: The prevalence of B. hominis is 4.16% among AIDS patients in Nanchang City. Daily direct drinking of tap water is a risk factor, and anti-HIV therapy is a protective factor of B. hominis infection among AIDS patients living in Nanchang City.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis infections among primary school students in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City., Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among students sampled from a primary school in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City on April, 2018, and their stool samples were collected for microscopic examinations, in vitro culture and PCR assays to analyze the prevalence of Blastocystis infections and subtype of the parasite. In addition, the risk factors of Blastocystis infections among primary school students were identified using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: A total of 466 primary students were surveyed, and the subjects had a mean age of (9.81±1.66) years and included 236 males (50.64%) and 230 females (49.36%). The prevalence of Blastocystis infections was 15.24% (71/466) among the study students, and there was no significance difference in the prevalence between male and fe- male students (16.52% vs. 13.91%; χ 2 = 0.616, P = 0.433). In addition, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis infections among grade 1 (6.35%, 4/63), grade 2 (5.17%, 3/58), grade 3 (21.74%, 15/69), grade 4 (25.30%, 21/83), grade 5 (10.19%, 11/108) and grade 6 students (20.00%, 17/85) ( χ 2 = 15.410, P = 0.009). There were four Blastocystis subtypes characterized (ST1, ST3, ST6 and ST7), in which ST6 was the most common subtype (45.07%, 32/71), followed by ST3 (25.35%, 18/71). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that minority ethnicity [odds ratio ( OR ) = 4.259, 95% confidential inter- val ( CI ) : (1.161, 15.621)] and low maternal education level (primary school and below) [ OR = 9.038, 95% CI : (1.125, 72.642)] were identified as risk factors of Blastocystis infection among primary school students in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City., Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of Blastocystis infections detected among primary school students in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, and ST6 and ST3 are predominant subtypes. Minority ethnicity and low maternal education level (primary school and below) are risk factors for Blastocystis infections in primary school students.

Objective: To understand the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis hominis infection in inpatients in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a community hospital in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, and the inpatients were surveyed by questionnaires. After obtaining the informed consent from the inpatients or legal guardians, the stool and blood samples were collected and examined by microscopy and PCR from April 17 to May 1, 2018. The univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of the B. hominis infection., Results: A total of 198 hospitalized patients were investigated, and the infection rate of B. hominis was 10.61% (21/198), and the infection rate of the females (12.10%) was higher than that of the males (8.11%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The highest rate of infection was 19.23% in the age group of 10 to 20 years, followed by 17.74% in the age group of 60 years and above, and the lowest rate was 2.38% in the age group of 20 to 40 years. The difference in infection rates of B. hominis among the different age groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The infection rate of B. hominis in the people who used dry pail latrines was 33.30%, which was higher than that of the people who used water flush toilets (9.10%) ( P < 0.05). The genotypes of B. hominis were ST1, ST3, ST6 and ST7, and ST6 and ST3 being the most predominant genotypes which accounted for 47.62% (10/21) and 38.10% (8/21) respectively, and among the infected males, the genotypes were only ST3 and ST6. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that among the factors affecting B. hominis infection, only keeping pets was a risk factor [ OR = 3.798, 95% CI (1.245, 11.581), P < 0.05]., Conclusions: A high prevalence of B. hominis infection is found in the inpatients in Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, the predominant genotypes are ST6 and ST3, and keeping pets may be one of the main risk factors.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis hominis infections among patients with HIV/AIDS in Fuyang City, Anhui Province., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fuyang City, Anhui Province in 2016. The demographic and socioeconomic status, and the lifestyle and production style were collected using a questionnaire survey. B. hominis DNA was detected in subjects'stool samples using a PCR assay, and the CD4+ T lymphocyte count and HIV viral load were measured in the subjects' blood samples. The risk factors of B. hominis infections among patients with HIV/AIDS were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses., Results: A total of 398 HIV/AIDS patients were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 49.3 years, a mean body weight of 55.9 kg and a mean height of 164.4 cm. The prevalence of B. hominis infection was 6.78% in the study subjects, and no gender- ( χ 2 = 1.589, P = 0.207), education level- ( χ 2 =0.508, P = 0.776), marital status- ( χ 2 = 0.419, P = 0.811) or occupation-specific prevalence ( χ 2 = 2.744, P = 0.615) was detected. Among the patients with HIV/AIDS, there were no significant differences in the age ( t = 0.370, P = 0.712), height ( t = 1.587, P =0.113), body weight ( t = 0.516, P = 0.606), CD4 + T lymphocyte count ( t = 1.187, P = 0.230) or HIV viral load ( t = 0.193, P =0.496) between B. hominis -infected and uninfected individuals. Dinking non-tap water [ OR = 6.554, 95% CI : (1.876 to 22.903)] and keeping dogs [ OR = 5.895, 95% CI : (2.017 to 17.225)] were identified as risk factors for B. hominis infection in patients with HIV/AIDS., Conclusions: The prevalence of B. hominis infection is high in HIV/AIDS patients, and drinking non-tap water and keeping dogs are risk factors for B. hominis infection among HIV/AIDS patients.