The incidence of cryptosporidiosis: a two-year prospective survey in a children's hospital.
A two-year prospective survey of patients with diarrhoea at a children's hospital detected 65 cases of cryptosporidiosis; 56 were index cases representing 1.4% of patients examined. There was a marked seasonal variation with fewer index cases in July-September (0.4-0.6%) than February-April (3-5%). All four adult cases were contacts of infected children and 21 (32%) of the patients were 12 months old or younger. Cryptosporidium was the fourth commonest diagnosed cause of gastroenteritis, the second most common non-viral cause, was responsible for 7.2% of all cases, and 14.7% of non-viral cases where a cause was identified. As such it should be sought routinely in cases of gastroenteritis in children.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D004739:England; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000209:etiology