Abstract:
Intestinal parasitic infections are among the major public health problems in developing countries. Hence, it is
significant to explore coinfection with intestinal parasites and pulmonary tuberculosis because coinfection increases the complexity
of control and prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis and parasitic diseases. Objective. To assess the prevalence of intestinal parasites
among pulmonary tuberculosis suspected patients. Method. Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted at University
of Gondar Hospital from March to May, 2017. Stool samples were taken from each participant and examined by direct microscopy
and concentration technique. Descriptive statistics was performed and chi-square test was used to show the association between
variables. 𝑃 values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results. Intestinal parasites were detected in 50 (19.6%) among
a total of 256 pulmonary tuberculosis suspected patients who were included in the study, whereas the prevalence of pulmonary
tuberculosis was 16.8% (43/256). Pulmonary tuberculosis and intestinal parasite coinfection was detected in 5 (2.0%) of the
participants. The most prevalent intestinal parasites infection in this study was Ascaris lumbricoides, 15 (5.85%), followed by
Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, 14 (5.46%), and Hookworm, 13 (5.1%). Conclusion. The prevalence of intestinal parasites and their
coinfection rate with pulmonary tuberculosis among pulmonary tuberculosis suspected patients were considerable
