Frequency of Intestinal Parasites in Patients with Pemphigus Vulgaris

Abstract

It is known that opportunistic parasites are more effective in immunocompromised individuals, infections are more severe and treatment is negatively affected. There is a limited number of studies on the relationship between parasitosis and Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV), most of which are case reports. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasites in patients with PV. Thirty patients with PV and 30 healthy individuals without any chronic disease as a control group were included in the study. Stool samples taken from the patients were evaluated by the native-Lugol method. Then, nested PCR was used to determine G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. positivity in stool samples, conventional PCR was used to determine Blastocystis and microsporidia positivity, and ELISA was used to determine E. histolytica positivity. One or more parasite species were detected in 23 (76.7%) of 30 PV patients and 10 (33.3%) of 30 healthy individuals in the control group (P = 0.0001). More than one parasite was seen in 12 patients (40%) in the patient group and in 5 individuals (16.7%) in the control group (P = 0.038). In the patient group, Blastocystis and G. intestinalis were detected in 8 (26.7%) individuals each, microsporidia in 12 (40%) individuals, Cryptosporidium spp. in 5 (16.7%) individuals, E. histolytica in 4 (13.3%) individuals, E. coli in 1 (3.33%) individual and Taenia spp. in 1 (3.33%) individual. Microsporidia were detected in 5 (16.7%) of the individuals in the control group, Blastocystis in 3 (10%), E. histolytica in 3 (10%), G. intestinalis in 2 (6.7%), Cryptosporidium spp. in 2 (6.7%) and E. coli in 1 (3.33%). Statistical significance was found between the patient and control groups in terms of microsporidia and G. intestinalis positivity. The parasite rate was higher in individuals aged 40 years and over in the control group (P = 0.024). The results obtained in the study show that parasitic infections are an important risk factor for patients with PV due to the characteristics of the disease and the treatment applied. Therefore, we believe that all patients with PV should be evaluated for intestinal parasites for early diagnosis of intestinal parasites in PV patients.