Prevalence and Types of Coinfections in Sleeping Sickness Patients in Kenya (20002009)‎

الملخص EN

The occurrence of coinfections in human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) patients was investigated using a retrospective data of hospital records at the National Sleeping Sickness Referral Hospital in Alupe, Kenya.

A total of 31 patients, 19 males and 12 females, were diagnosed with HAT between the years 2000 and 2009.

The observed co-infections included malaria (100%), helminthosis (64.5%), typhoid (22.5%), urinary tract infections (16.1%), HIV (12.9%), and tuberculosis (3.2%).

The species of helminthes observed included Ancylostoma duodenale (38.7%), Ascaris lumbricoides (45.7%), Strongyloides stercoralis (9.7%), and Taenia spp.

(3.2%).

The patients were also infected with Entamoeba spp.

(32.3%) and Trichomonas hominis (22.6%) protozoan parasites.

The main clinical signs observed at the point of admission included headache (74.2%), fever (48.4%), sleep disorders (45.2%), and general body pain (41.9%).

The HAT patients were treated with suramin (early stage, 9/31) and melarsoprol (late stage, 22/31).

In conclusion, the study has shown that HAT patients have multiple co-infections which may influence the disease pathogenesis and complicate management of HAT.