Frequency, multiplicity and repertoire of intestinal protozoa in healthy homosexual men and in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Various conventional parasitological methods were used to study three faecal samples from 153 homosexual men and 119 patients with abdominal symptoms. In 59.5% of the homosexual men 198 protozoa were identified, and in 31.9% of the patients the number of protozoa was 51. Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia were more frequent in the patients, while various amoebae were more frequent in the homosexual men. The frequency, multiplicity and repertoire of intestinal protozoa in the homosexual men were very similar to those reported from other parts of the world, but quite different from those associated with gastrointestinal illness in the local general population.