Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic and Bacterial Pathogens in Diarrhoeal and Non-Diarroeal Human Stools from Vhembe District, South Africa (Clinical Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Gastrointestinal infections are major causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world and particularly in developing countries where mortality rate due to infectious diarrhoea could be as high as 56% (1). Children and young adults are the most affected, particularly in regions with limited resources and where hygienic measures are not strictly followed (2). In Africa, diarrhoea has been estimated to be responsible for 25-75% of all childhood illnesses (3), and episodes of diarrhoea led to about 14% of outpatient visits and 16% of hospital admissions and accounted for an average of 35 days of illness per year in children aged less than five years (4). Causes of diarrhoea in endemic areas include a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Intestinal parasites are associated with serious clinical diseases and mortality and are known to cause malnutrition and impairment of physical development in children and affect their growth and learning. It is, thus, necessary to have a fairly-accurate picture of the situation to target interventions in affected areas.