Background: Intestinal parasitic infestations cause a variety of clinical conditions, ranging from asymptomatic infestations to life-threatening situations. This study will highlight the importance of screening for intestinal parasites in immunosuppressed patients and increasing awareness of occurrence of intestinal parasites in this population. Objective: To understand the prevalence and demonstration of intestinal parasitic infestations among the immunosuppressed patients and determine the association of intestinal parasite and clinical presentation among these patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 149 immunosuppressed patients were included in the study. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was diagnosed by microscopic examination of stool specimens. Smears were stained by Kinyoun's modified acid-fast stain. Stool samples were also examined after Sheather's sugar floatation and formol-ether concentration techniques. Result: Of the 149 patients included in the study, parasitic infestation was present in 53.02%. The highest prevalence of parasitic infestation was found in patients with cancers 80% (12 of 15). Overall, 106 (71.1%) patients showed gastrointestinal symptoms, of which 63(59.4%) patients were positive for intestinal parasites. The most common parasite isolated was Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar. The parasite prevalence with use of routine method was found to be 37% and with Sheather's sucrose floatation and formal-ether sedimentation method was found to be 43% and 52.3%, respectively. Conclusion: This study thus highlights the importance of testing for intestinal parasites in immunosuppressed patients and emphasizes the necessity awareness among clinicians regarding the occurrence of these parasites in this population and health education of the population for food hygiene.

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Background: Fungi have emerged as major causes of human diseases. Intensive Care Units (ICU), harbor almost all the risk factors for opportunistic fungal infections. Among these, Candida infections are very common with recent trends being rise in the non-Candida albicans (NCA) species along with an increase in resistance of these species to antifungal drugs. Aims: To characterize the Candida species from the clinical specimens of patients admitted in the ICU of Tertiary Care Centre in North-East India and to perform their antifungal susceptibility. Settings and Design: This retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology from January 2011 to December 2011. Materials and Methods: The following techniques were employed to characterize the isolates in the study -KOH mount, Gram's stain, India ink preparation, culture on Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar, Germ Tube test, Urea hydrolysis, morphology in Cornmeal Agar and chromogenic agar media, sugar fermentation and sugar assimilation tests and automated identification system, and the results were interpreted using standard protocols. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 17.0 was used for all statistical computations and P < 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Out of 85 Candida isolates, Candida tropicalis (38%) was the most common, in all age groups. Infections were more common in patients above 40 years and males were affected more than females. NCA species were more resistant to fluconazole than C. albicans. Conclusions: The study highlights the change in epidemiology in the species distribution of Candida and a rise in infections by NCA species as compared to those by C. albicans. Knowledge of the local species distribution of Candida along with their antifungal susceptibility is essential to initiate and optimize therapy and outcome, especially in an ICU setup, which harbors patients susceptible to fungal infections.

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