Molecular and epidemiological investigations of cryptosporidiosis in Cuban children

Abstract

Molecular and epidemiological studies of Cryptosporidium infections amongst 28 Cuban children (aged 2-8 years) with diarrhoea are described. As few of the younger infected children but most of the older infected children had been breastfed, short-term protection from maternal antibodies passed to infants during breastfeeding may result in a lack of cryptosporidial infection in infancy. This protection of breastfeeding children may, however, result in such children developing less anti-Cryptosporidium immunity of their own (than their bottle-fed counterparts), so that, by school age, the children who had been breastfed are those most likely to be found infected. In the present study, in contrast with the observations made during a previous study of cryptosporidiosis in Cuban children, vomiting was rare (7%) whereas abdominal pain was common (57%). These differences in expression of symptoms between studies may be age-related. As seen in other studies from similar countries, including those of the Caribbean and Latin America, C. hominis was found to predominate, the results of the successful molecular analyses revealing 10 C. hominis infections but no C. parvum. Subgenotyping (at the gp60 locus) indicated that the C. hominis infections included a wide range of subtypes, with isolates from three subtype families (Ia, Ib and Id) being detected.

Global Distribution, Public Health and Clinical Impact of the Protozoan PathogenCryptosporidium

“…Such an approach may provide a suitable tool for determining the prevalence of infection in very young children. Molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium infections among Cuban children (aged 2–8 years) with diarrhoea, were described by Pelayo et al, 2008 [268]. In this study, in contrast with a previous report on intestinal coccidia in Cuban pediatric patients [290], differences in symptoms were detected, possibly age-related.…”

“…Short-term protection from maternal antibodies passed to infants during breastfeeding may result in a lack of cryptosporidial infection in infancy. This protection of breastfeeding children may, however, result in such children developing less anti- Cryptosporidium immunity of their own, so that, by school age, the children who had been breastfed are those most likely to be found infected [268]. Hospital- and community-based studies in Sub-Saharan Africa document a high prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in children aged 6–36 months, particularly among those who are malnourished or HIV-positive and during rainy seasons.…”

Giardiainfections in Cuban children: the genotypes circulating in a rural population

“…Collaborative studies to identify the most appropriate method for the storage of Giardia cysts (in stools) that are destined for molecular analysis are in progress. Curiously, although the storage method used in the present study was apparently deleterious to Giardia cysts, it caused less damage to Cryptosporidium oocysts (Pelayo et al, 2008), and storage in 75% ethanol at ambient temperatures has been recommended for the long-term preservation of Cryptosporidium oocysts prior to their molecular analysis (Jongwutiwes et al, 2002). In Ethiopia (Gelanew et al, 2007), the storage of stool samples, under refrigeration, in either 0.1% (w/v) merthiolate (thiomersal) or 2.5% (w/v) potassium dichromate for 2-4 months, before shipping to Italy and DNA extraction, resulted in successful PCR at the b-giardin gene for 74% of the samples.…”

Rapid Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasitic Protozoa, with a Focus onEntamoeba histolytica

“…The genus Cryptosporidium was identified in mice by Edward Tyzzer in 1907 [3]. It was found as human pathogen in 1976.…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks diarrheal disease as the second highest cause of morbidity and mortality in children in the developing world [1–3]. Enteric protozoa are one case of diarrheal disease in children.…”