The Study of Lophomonas Blattarum Infection in Children with Respiratory Symptoms: A Descriptive Clinical Study in North East of Iran

Abstract

<strong><em><span>Background: </span></em></strong><em><span>Lophomonas blattarum </span></em><span>is protozoan generally parasitizes in the intestinal tracts of some arthropods. It can infect adults and children with unspecific respiratory symptoms. We aimed to investigate the frequency of <em>Lophomonas blattarum </em>in children with respiratory symptoms in North East of Iran. </span><br /> <strong><em><span>Materials and Methods: </span></em></strong><span>One hundred fifty-six children with respiratory symptoms were investigated in a descriptive-analytical study using Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) according to enumeration method in March 2016 to March 2017.Data was collected via a check list, prospectively. All had Bronchoscopy and chest X-ray. The </span><span lang="EN">data were analyzed using SPSS program.</span><br /> <strong><em><span>Results: </span></em></strong><span>Of the 156 studied children,40.4% (n=63) of patients with the average age of 5.11±2.9 years were positive for <em>L. blattarum</em> infection. In positive cases, 42.9% (n=27) were male. There was a significant relationship between gender and Lophomonas infection (p=0.0006). The most common respiratory symptoms were cough, fever, wheeze and tachypnea. Radiography of infected patients showed pulmonary infiltration (16.7%), unilateral lung hyperinflation (23.1%), consolidation (19.9%), and lung collapse (14.7%). Underlying diseases were detected in 4 infected patients. Bronchoscopy showed abnormal results in 22 patients (14.1%). Most common abnormalities were in order: mucus plaque (22.7%), left bronchomalacia (18.2%), left bronchial stenosis (18.2%) and foreign body aspiration (13.6%). </span><br /> <strong><em><span>Conclusion: </span></em></strong><span>Generally, 40.4% of children with respiratory symptoms were positive for <em>L. blattarum</em> infection. It is suggested to consider <em>L. blattarum </em>as a cause of pulmonary infections in patients with pulmonary symptoms.</span>