Cryptosporidiosis in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Cryptosporidium was detected in 21 (3.8%) individual stool samples collected from 553 pediatric patients hospitalized in our center employing a Telemann concentration technique (formalin-ether-centrifugation) and stained with the modified Kinyoun method. The mean age of populations with Cryptosporidiosis (16 boys and 5 girls) was 11 months; 15 months for girls and 6.5 for boys. Ages of 81% of them were less than 19 months. Seventy-six per cent of patients lived on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and 71% lacked pretreated running water at home. In 62% of the cases parasitological diagnoses coincided with warm seasons. At diagnosis mucous (63%) or watery (36%) diarrhea was presented in 90% of the patients with a median of 5 (3-8) bowel movements per day. Fever was presented in 66% of patients while abdominal pain and vomits in 60% and 52%, respectively. The median time from hospitalization up to parasitologic diagnosis was 20 days. Concomitant diseases observed were malnutrition, acute leukemia, bronchiolitis, HIV infection, anemia, celiac disease, myelofibrosis, vitelline sac tumor, neutropenia, osteosarcoma and dehydration. Cryptosporidiosis in our environment seems to occur more frequently in children younger than 18 months of age; who present diarrhea; are immunodeficient; come from a low socioeconomical background; and who live in poor sanitary conditions with no potable running water.

Potential risk factors for Cryptosporidium infection among HIV/AIDS patients in central areas of Thailand

“…Basically, the Cryptosporidium in HIV-infected patients are usually detected in the group with low socioeconomic background (Saredi and Bava, 1998). Of interest, in our study, there is no statistically significant difference between the sociodemographic characteristics of the patients with and without positive results to Cryptosporidium.…”

Study of Epidemiological Factors in Cryptosporidiosis in Children With Diarrhoea

“…No case was found in children who drank boiled or filtered water. Unsafe drinking water as a source of infection was reported by other workers also 2,21,22 .…”

“…Cryptosporidium was found at a higher frequency in the lower socioeconomic classes. Saredi et al 2 and Nagamani et al 14 have also shown that majority of the children in their respective studies belonged to lower socioeconomic group. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium was higher in those children being or having been bottle-fed (15.4%) or receiving liquids or foods in addition to breast milk (12.3%) than those children on exclusive breast feeding (5.1%).…”

Genotypic identification of Cryptosporidium spp. isolated from hiv-infected patients and immunocompetent children of São Paulo, Brazil

“…as a causative agent of severe and chronic diarrhea, representing an important cause of morbidity and mortality among malnourished children and immunocompromised patients, such as those infected with HIV or submitted to organ transplants 8,25,28 , has been extensively discussed in the literature. However, the prevalence of this parasite in immunocompetent children is not well known.…”

“…in their stools 5,7,8,15,19,25 . Serological surveys conducted in Brazil showed the presence of antiCryptosporidium antibodies in a large number of children living in slums of the northeastern region of Fortaleza, state of Ceara 1 , and also in individuals with no intestinal symptoms living in the state of São Paulo.…”