Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium infections in child day-care centers in Fulton County, Georgia.
Risk factors for the introduction, spread and persistence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia infections in child day-care centers are not well understood. In 1989 and 1990 stool specimens were obtained from 292 diapered children attending 17 randomly selected day-care centers in Fulton County, GA; 8 (2.7%) children in 2 centers were infected with Cryptosporidium and 21 (7.2%) children in 7 centers were infected with Giardia. In 1986 the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in these same centers had been 0.4 and 11.0%, respectively; the prevalence of Cryptosporidium, but not Giardia, increased significantly (P = 0.04) between 1986 and 1989 to 1990. Risk factors for Giardia infection included day-care attendance for greater than 3 months, the presence of toddlers in the classroom and the presence of other children in the household. Day-care centers with a Giardia-positive child in 1986 were not more likely to have an infected child in 1989 to 1990. Cryptosporidium, like Giardia, may be endemic in day-care centers in Fulton County.
Addiss
D G
DG
Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Public Health Service, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA.
Stewart
J M
JM
Finton
R J
RJ
Wahlquist
S P
SP
Williams
R M
RM
Dickerson
J W
JW
Spencer
H C
HC
Juranek
D D
DD
D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors