While information with regards to the bacterial and viral infections are commonly
available among clinicians, data on parasitic infection, particularly Microsporidia among
immunocompromised patient is currently lacking in Malaysia. This study was conducted to
determine the prevalence of Microsporidia among a various group of immunocompromised
patient. Two hundred and eighty-eight archived stool samples were examined for the presence
of Microsporidia with Gram-Chromotrope Kinyoun staining method. The overall prevalence
of Microsporidia was 29.2 % (84/288; 95% CI=24.2-34.5). The end-stage renal failure (ESRF)
patients (32.1%) recorded the highest infection rate, followed by cancer (26.2%), human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS) (22.6%) and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) (7.1%). Meanwhile,
organ transplant recipients and autoimmune disease patients recorded the lowest prevalence
rate (6.0%). Other intestinal parasites were Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura,
Ascaris lumbricoides and Cryptosporidium species. Diarrhoea was the most common
symptoms among patients with microsporidiosis. The present study showed that the prevalence
of Microsporidia infection was relatively high among immunocompromised patients. This
finding highlighted the importance to include detection of microsporidia infection as a routine
differential diagnosis in immunocompromised patients, which serves the benefit of treatment
to the patients.