Objective: To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites and rates of stool testing compliance, as well as associated patient characteristics, among newly arrived refugees at the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic in Calgary, Alta. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Primary care clinic for refugee patients. Participants: A total of 1390 new refugee patients at the clinic from May 1, 2011, to June 30, 2013. Main outcome measures: Stool ova and parasite test completion and proportion of positive test results. Results: Of 1390 patients, 74.1% (95% CI 71.7% to 76.4%) completed at least 1 stool ova and parasite test. Among those completing tests, 29.7% (95% CI 26.9% to 32.6%) had at least 1 positive result. Patients aged 6 to 18 years were more likely to have positive test results (38.5%, 95% CI 32.2% to 45.0%) than patients aged 19 to 39 were, as were those last residing in Asia (36.4%, 95% CI 30.4% to 42.8%) or sub-Saharan Africa (30.9%, 95% CI 26.8% to 35.1%), compared with those arriving from the Middle East. Giardia lamblia, Blastocystis hominis, Dientamoeba fragilis, and Entamoeba histolytica or Entamoeba dispar were the most prevalent parasites. If B hominis and D fragilis are excluded because of their lower potential to cause harm, the overall prevalence was 16.3%. Conclusion: Given the high compliance of patients submitting stool ova and parasite tests and a high prevalence of positive test results in some refugee groups, targeted screening should be considered in newly arrived refugees at greater risk of intestinal parasites.

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medical record review Needs Assessment parasitology Giardia intestinalis primary medical care Africa south of the Sahara refugee Blastocystis hominis Parasite Egg Count Entamoeba dispar Entamoeba histolytica human Refugees middle aged Middle East statistics and numerical data Parasites Animals nonhuman procedures animal parasite human cell Humans ovum classification Adolescent male Canada female Dientamoeba prevalence isolation and purification Retrospective Studies major clinical study adult Feces intestine infection Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic outcome assessment retrospective study Parasite Load intestine parasite Child