In the present study, a cross-sectional survey of intestinal parasitic and bacterial infections in relation to
diarrhoea in Vhembe district and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of isolated bacterial pathogens
was conducted. Stool samples were collected from 528 patients attending major public hospitals and 295
children attending two public primary schools and were analyzed by standard microbiological and parasitological
techniques.
Entamoeba histolytica
/
E. dispar (34.2%) and
Cryptosporidium
spp. (25.5%) were the
most common parasitic causes of diarrhoea among the hospital attendees while
Giardia lamblia
(12.8%)
was the most common cause of diarrhoea among the primary school children (p<0.05). Schistosoma mansoni
(14.4%) was more common in non-diarrhoeal samples at both hospitals (16.9%) and schools (17.6%).
Campylobacter
spp. (24.9%),
Aeromonas
spp. (20.8%), and
Shigella
spp. (8.5%) were the most common bacterial
causes of diarrhoea among the hospital attendees while
Campylobacter (12.8%) and
Aeromonas spp.
(12.8%) were most common in diarrhoeal samples from school children. Vibrio spp. was less common (3%
in the hospitals) and were all associated with diarrhoea. Antimicrobial resistance was common among the
bacterial isolates but ceftriaxone (91%) and ciprofloxacin (88.6%) showed stronger activities against all
the organisms. The present study has demonstrated that
E. histolytica/dispar,
Cryptosporidium,
Giardia, and
Cyclospora are common parasitic causes of diarrhoea in Vhembe district while
Campylobacter spp. and
Aeromonas
are the most common bacterial causes of diarrhoea in Vhembe district of South Africa.
