A study of risk factors associated with the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in villages around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Abstract

Cryptosporidium parvum is an endemic, zoonotic coccidian parasitosis that is highly prevalent in third-world countries where waterborne fecal contamination of food and drink or person-to-person contact with oocysts are the most common methods of transmission of the enteric protozoan. This type of transmission of the parasite made the villages around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala a unique site to compare environmental risk factors with the level of Cryptosporidium infections in the local residents. The study was carried out in two villages, San Antonio Palopo and Santa Catarina Palopo, located in the highlands above the shores of the lake. Smears from stool specimens of patients with gastroenteritis were processed using Kinyoun's modified acid-fast stain and observed with light microscopy. Of the 100 residents examined from the two villages, 32% had Cryptosporidium infections. Female children had the highest prevalence of infection (44% in San Antonio Palopo and 46% in Santa Catarina Palopo, p<0.05), and they also had significantly higher infection rates than males, 50% vs. 17%, respectively. The prevalence rate was not influenced by the season of the year or by the location of the residents. We found differences in prevalence rates due to age and gender, and we suggest that the high infection rates of specific groups are associated with their exposure to the contaminated water supply from Lake Atitlan.

Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism for Identification of Cryptosporidium Species in Human Feces

“…Human cryptosporidiosis has been reported in all regions of the world, and prevalence rates range from 1 to 30% (8,12). Ninety percent of reported cases are caused by two of the five Cryptosporidium species that can cause human disease, the anthroponotic species Cryptosporidium hominis and the zoonotic species Cryptosporidium parvum (16,18,28).…”

A serological survey on cryptosporidiosis in Najran region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia with reference to some epidemiological features of the infection

“…28,29 Interestingly, in this study, Cryptosporidium infection was significantly higher in males than females. This could be explained by the fact that males, especially in this community, have more freedom than females to go outdoors and practice activities such as dealing with farm animals, drinking unprotected underground well-water, and swimming in public pools.…”

Frequency of cryptosporidium infection in children under five years of age having diarrhea in the North West of Pakistan

“…parvum is an endemic, zoonotic parasite that is highly prevalent in developing countries. Cryptosporidiosis is a serious disease in these countries, because it increases morbidity and mortality associated with poverty and malnutrition (Shoaib et al, 2003;Laubach et al, 2004). In developing countries, it is a leading cause of persistent diarrhoea especially in children.…”

“…These animals could have been the reservoir of transmission of infection. This parasite is not host specific and infection can spread from infected animals to humans (Laubach et al, 2004).…”