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Background  Intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) are a major public health concern in HIV/AIDS patients particularly in resource-limited settings of Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies investigating the relationship between intestinal parasitic infections and CD4 +  T cell counts and diarrhea in HIV/AIDS patients with or without antiretroviral therapy in the region are not readily available hence the need to perform this study.    Methods  In a comparative cross-sectional study involving 52 pre-ART and 248 on-ART HIV patients. Stool samples were collected and analysed for intestinal parasites by wet and iodine mounts, Kato-Katz, formol ether, modified field staining, and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining techniques. Blood samples were collected and analysed for CD4 +  T cell counts by flow cytometry. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and clinical presentation. Data were analysed using STATA version 12.1. Statistical tests performed included the Pearson Chi-square, logistic regression and student’s  t -test.  P  < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.    Results  The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in pre-ART and on-ART was 84.6 % and 82.3 % respectively with no significant difference observed with respect to age ( p  = 0.06), and gender ( p  = 0.736). All the opportunistic parasites including  Cryptosporidium parvum ,  Cyclospora cayetanensis ,  Isospora belli  and  Microsporidium spp . were isolated from both groups, with only  Microsporidium spp . significantly associated with CD4 +  T cell counts below 200 cells/μl in pre-ART ( p  = 0.006) while  Cryptosporidium parvum ,  Microsporidium spp . and  Isospora belli  were associated with counts below 200 cells/μl in on-ART.  Cryptosporidium parvum  was significantly associated with diarrhea in pre-ART ( p  = 0.025) meanwhile it was significantly associated with diarrhea in on-ART ( p  = 0.057). The risk of diarrhea was highest in patients with CD4 +  T cell counts below 200 cells/μl (COR = 10.21,  p  = 0.000) for both pre- and on-ART treatment.    Conclusion  A very high prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was observed, which did not differ with respect to ART status. All known opportunistic parasites were isolated in both pre-ART and on-ART patients. Low CD4 +  T cell count may appear to be a factor for intestinal parasitic infections and development of diarrhea. Regular screening and treatment of intestinal parasitic infections is very vital in improving the overall quality of care of HIV/AIDS patients.

Intestinal parasitic infections in relation to CD4+ T cell counts and diarrhea in HIV/AIDS patients with or without antiretroviral therapy in Cameroon