The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of intestinal parasitic infection among
patients with gastrointestinal tract disorders from the Greater Cairo region, Egypt. In addition, a comparison was
made of the accuracy of direct thin and thick smear, formol-ether sedimentation (FEC), centrifugal flotation (CF), and
mini-FLOTAC techniques in the diagnosis of infection. Out of 100 patients, the overall prevalence of parasitic infection
was 51%. Only 6% had dual infection. Giardia lamblia was the most common parasite (26%), followed by
Hymenolepis nana (20%), Entamoeba coli (8%), and Enterobius vermicularis (3%). Except the statistically significant
association between E. vermicularis infection and perianal itching and insomnia (P < 0.001), age, gender, and complaints
of the examined individuals had no association with prevalence of parasitic infection. Both FEC and CF were
equally the most accurate techniques (accuracy = 98.2%, confidence interval [CI] = 0.95–1.0, and κ index = 0.962),
whereas the Kato-Katz method was the least accurate (accuracy = 67.5%, CI = 0.57–0.78, and κ index = 0.333).
However, mini-FLOTAC-ZnSO4 was the most accurate for diagnosis of helminthic infection, and FEC was more
accurate for diagnosis of protozoal infection (accuracy = 100%, CI = 1.0–1.0, and κ index = 1).