الفهرس 
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Abstract
Isospora belli has been recognized as an opportunistic parasite which can affect both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. The organism causes self-limiting diarrhoea in immunocompetent patients and life-threatening diarrhoea in immunocompromised ones especially those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Hence, the present work is intended to determine the prevalence of Isospora belli in different groups of diarrhoeic patients attending Menoufiya University Hospitals and to evaluate the different methods used for detection of Isospora belli oocysts in stools in order to determine the most feasible method to be used in diagnosis. The following groups of diarrhoeic patients were examined for Isospora belli:- Group I: 29 cancer patients under chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Group II: 36 uraemic patients. Group III: 30 diabetic patients. Group IV: 34 malnourished children. Group V: 37 patients under corticosteroid therapy for diseases other than cancer for long periods. Group VI: 34 immunocompetent patients suffering from diarrhoea. The following control groups were also examined: Group IC: 75 immunocompetent patients not suffering from diarrhoea. Group IIC: 75 immunosuppresed patients not suffering from diarrhoea. The stool of all these patients had been examined by the following methods:- 1. Direct smear method 2. Brine floatation technique. 3. Sheather’s sugar floatation technique. 4. Modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain. 5. Giemsa stain. 6. Trichrome stain. 7. Modified auramine-rhodamine stain. The above mentioned six techniques were compared regarding:- 1. The number of positive cases detected. 2. The morphologic appearance of Isospora belli oocysts. 3. Total time of the procedure. 4. Availability of chemicals and materials. 5. Total cost of the procedure. from the present work, the following results were obtained: 1. The prevalence of Isospora belli infection among diarrhoeic patients as a whole was 2.5%. 2. The highest percentage of infection was found among patients under corticosteroid therapy for diseases other than cancer for long periods (5.4%) followed by cancer patients under chemotherapy or radiotherapy (3.4%), malnourished children (2.9%) and lastly, uraemic patients (2.8%). 3. Prevalence of infection was higher in males (3.1%) than in females (1.9%). 4. The highest prevalence of infection in this study was recorded in patients in the age group 11-25 years (7.1%) followed by those aged < 5 years (3.3%), those aged 26-45 years (2.5%) and lastly, those aged 5-10 years (2%). 5.The highest percentage of detection of Isospora belli oocysts in stools of positive patients was obtained by Brine floatation and Sheather’s sugar floatation techniques (100%), followed by modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain (80%), followed by Giemsa stain (60%) and lastly modified auramine-rhodamine stain (40%), while no positive cases were detected by Trichrome stain. Quality of oocyst morphology was excellent by using the Brine floatation and the Sheather’s sugar floatation techniques, followed by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain and lastly the Giemsa and modified auramine-rhodamine stains.