BACKGROUND: Opportunistic Intestinal Parasites (OIPs) commonly cause morbidity in HIV/AIDS patients due to the decline of CD4+T-cells. The burden of Opportunistic Intestinal Parasitic Infections (OIPIs) in Ethiopia is expected to be high due to poor sanitation and co-pandemicity of HIV/AIDs. Therefore, frequent assessment of the magnitude and associated factors for intestinal parasitosis is essential for the management of HIV/AIDS patients.METHODS: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending Arba Minch Hospital Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Clinic from March to June 2016. Stool specimens were processed for parasitological examination using direct wet mount, formol-ether sedimentation and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining techniques. CD4+ T-cell count data were taken from patients’ medical records. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and possible associated factors for OIPIs. All the data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty ART patients participated in the study. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was 28.18% while that of OIPIs alone was 17.72%. Among identified intestinal parasites, Cryptosporidium species accounts for the highest frequency (19/220, 8.63%), followed by Cyclospora species (13/220, 5.90%). Presence  of domestic animals (AOR=2.07, 95%CI:1.07-8.40, P= 0.032) and CD4+ T-cell count <500cell/µl (AOR=4.66, 95%CI:1.17-5.35, P= 0.001) were significantly associated with OIPIs.CONCLUSION: The study indicated that co-infection rate of OIPs is high among ART patients. It also found that contact with domestic animals and having CD4+ count <500 cell/μl predict for the presence of OIPs.
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KEYWORDS:  Opportunistic intestinal parasites, ART patients, CD4 status