Cryptosporidiosis in Kuwaiti children: seasonality and endemicity

Iqbal, Jamshaid; Hira, P. R.; Al-Ali, Faiza Mohamed; Philip, Reeni

doi:10.1046/j.1198-743x.2001.00254.x

Cited by 39 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Previous studies in various tropical countries have shown the highest prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in children younger than 2 years (3-5, 12-14, 21, 23, 27, 32). In contrast, Kuwaiti children infected with Cryptosporidium are significantly older than those in other areas of endemicity, a finding in agreement with an earlier study conducted in the same population (11). In a neighboring country, Saudi Arabia, children are also seemingly infected with Cryptosporidium later than those in other tropical countries (1).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Results of the study confirm the presence of a unique endemicity of cryptosporidiosis revealed in an earlier study in Kuwait (11). Previous studies in various tropical countries have shown the highest prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in children younger than 2 years (3-5, 12-14, 21, 23, 27, 32).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…In a neighboring country, Saudi Arabia, children are also seemingly infected with Cryptosporidium later than those in other tropical countries (1). The delayed Cryptosporidium infection in Kuwaiti children was previously attributed to better hygiene in Kuwait than in other tropical countries (11).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These children visited government hospitals for treatment because of gastrointestinal symptoms. They were diagnosed as positive for Cryptosporidium by microscopy of acid-fast stained fecal smears (11). Aliquots of the Cryptosporidium-positive specimens were preserved in 2.5% potassium dichromate and shipped to the laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, for molecular analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unique Endemicity of Cryptosporidiosis in Children in Kuwait

et al. 2005

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To understand the transmission of Cryptosporidium infection in children, fecal specimens from 62 Kuwaiti children with gastrointestinal symptoms found to be positive by microscopy were genotyped and subtyped with a small subunit rRNA-based PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and a 60-kDa glycoprotein-based DNA sequencing tool. The median age of infected children was 4.5 years, and 77% of infections occurred during the cool season of November to April. Fifty-eight of the children (94%) had Cryptosporidium parvum, three (5%) had Cryptosporidium hominis, and one (1%) had both C. parvum and C. hominis. Altogether, 13 subtypes of C. parvum (belonging to four subtype allele families) and C. hominis (belonging to three subtype allele families) were observed, with 92% of specimens belonging to the common allele family IIa and the unusual allele family IId. Thus, the transmission of cryptosporidiosis in Kuwaiti children differed significantly from other tropical countries.Cryptosporidiosis is a significant cause of diarrheal diseases in both developing and industrialized nations. Recent molecular epidemiologic studies of cryptosporidiosis have helped researchers to better understand the transmission of cryptosporidiosis in humans and the public health significance of Cryptosporidium spp. in animals and the environment. Using genotyping tools, five species of Cryptosporidium (C. hominis, C. parvum, C. meleagridis, C. felis, and C. canis) have been shown to be responsible for most human infections. Of these five species, C. hominis and C. parvum are the two most common species (34). Because these five human pathogenic Cryptosporidium species have different spectrums of host specificity, the characterization of Cryptosporidium at the species level is useful in investigating infection and contamination sources. Recently, a number of subtyping tools have been developed and used to characterize the population structure and transmission dynamics of C. parvum and C. hominis (2, 8, 17, 18, 24-26, 29, 30).Although cryptosporidiosis is prevalent in tropical regions, limited studies have been conducted to characterize Cryptosporidium spp. from humans at the molecular level. Several studies have examined the transmission of human cryptosporidiosis in South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Peru, and Thailand, all of which have shown a predominance of C. hominis in humans, indicating anthroponotic transmission plays a major role in the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in most tropical countries (7,17,25,(31)(32)(33). Only two of the studies subtyped small numbers of Cryptosporidium spp. (17,25). In the present study, 62 Cryptosporidium-positive specimens were collected from children in Kuwait City between 1997 and 2004 and examined by a small subunit (SSU) rRNA-based PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis and a 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60)-based PCR sequencing tool (2, 33). Results of the study have shown a predominance in children of C. parvum, which traditionally is associated with farm animal...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Unique Endemicity of Cryptosporidiosis in Children in Kuwait

et al. 2005

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“…Similarly, our results were in line with a former study in Kuwait which found the highest prevalence was observed during winter season (from January to April). 34 The sensitivity and specificity of newly developed Elisa test in comparison with direct wet mount microscopy (modified ZN) was found to be 100% and 87.5% respectively. This is comparable to another study which showed sensitivity and specificity of Elisa coproantigen test in comparison to microscopy as 98.8% and 100% respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Elshahawy

2017

Int J Adv Med

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Furthermore, many cases of non-bacterial, non-viral infectious human diarrhea are commonly attributed to Cryptosporidium. 2This Cryptosporidium-associated diarrhea is not unique. Thus, diagnosis should be relied ABSTRACT Background: Cryptosporidium infection remains a major public health issue, but its epidemiology in humans is still unclear, particularly in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Hence, this study was designed to determine the infection status of Cryptosporidium and the reservoir hosts in southwestern Saudi Arabia community and to recognize the associated risk factors, with evaluating the diagnostic performance of the techniques used. Methods: A total of 576 stool specimens and sera were screened for cryptosporidiosis using modified Ziehl neelsen technique and a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively, between September 2015 and December 2016. Results: Of the 576 samples assayed, 9.5 and 20.8% were positive for Cryptosporidium oocyst and antiCryptosporidium antibody, respectively. The seropositivity was positively correlated with age, especially in the age group less than 6 years old. Likewise, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections in males was significantly higher than in female counterparts (P < 0.05). The current study revealed that the maximum number of cases, 22.4%, was observed during the months of January to April, indicating marked significant seasonal variation. Sensitivity and specificity of newly developed Elisa technique when compared to acid-fast were 100% and 88.24%, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first study highlighting that Cryptosporidium infections are still an important public health problem in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Therefore, health education would be the best way to prevent the infections and the serological assays proved to be useful mean to provide more accurate information regarding community levels of Cryptosporidium infection.

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The association of Blastocystis hominis and Endolimax nana with diarrheal stools in Zambian school-age children

et al. 2005

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To determine the prevalence of endoparasites and their association with diarrhea, a survey was conducted in the Southern Province of Zambia that used conventional and molecular techniques applied to stool and urine samples from school-age children (n = 93). Almost half of the stools (49.5%) were diarrhetic. The overall prevalence of Endolimax nana, Schistosoma haematobium, Blastocystis hominis, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, and Strongyloides stercoralis was 64.3, 59.1, 53.8, 19.4, 8.6, 8.6, and 1.1%, respectively. Only the associations between infection with B. hominis and E. nana with diarrhea were statistically significant. Although B. hominis and E. nana are considered to be nonpathogenic organisms, this study demonstrated that they can be associated with diarrhea in children when they occur at high prevalence and intensity. This survey supports the recent evidence that B. hominis and E. nana infections are associated with deficient sanitation and low hygiene standards and can contribute to diarrhea in children in developing countries.

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Cryptosporidiosis in Kuwaiti children: seasonality and endemicity

Abstract: In this study, we observed water-borne transmission of cryptosporidium infection in children with diarrhea. The infection is seasonal and endemic.

Cited by 39 publications

References 26 publications

Unique Endemicity of Cryptosporidiosis in Children in Kuwait

Unique Endemicity of Cryptosporidiosis in Children in Kuwait

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

The association of Blastocystis hominis and Endolimax nana with diarrheal stools in Zambian school-age children

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