Nosocomial infection, defined as infection occurring more than72 hours after hospital admission or within 30 days after discharge. It is reported to account for < 1% of endemic nosocomial infections and 17% of epidemic nosocomial infections .Nosocomial infections often occur in patients who are already ill, malnourished or with chronic debilitating diseases. Hospitalization while on steroids therapy, chemotherapy, prolonged hospital stay and the growing number of personnel and contacts who can come in contact with each patient makes the risk of exposure is greeter. Nosocomial infections are transmitted in hospitals by several routes, there are five main routes of transmission including contact, droplet, air born, blood, and vector borne . In enteric (oral – fecal) transmission, the infecting organisms are found in feces and are ingested by succeptible hosts, in many cases through fecally contaminated food or water . The most important enteric parasites associated with nosocomial infections are Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium species, Isospora sp, Cyclospora sp., Blastocystis hominis and Microsporidia. They are intestinal protozoa transmitted by autoinfection via oral – fecal route and wide spread in developing countries where inadequate sanitation and poor hygienic condition prevail and causing acute or chronic diarrhea .
The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of nosocomial parasitosis in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed children, contact persons, food workers, medical staff as well as blood packets and water supply in Benha University Hospital.