Cryptosporidiosis in hospital patients with gastroenteritis.
Among 884 hospital patients with gastroenteritis, 36 (4.1%) were excreting Cryptosporidium oocysts in their stools; only 5 of the 36 patients were also excreting other enteropathogens, while none of 320 hospital patients without gastroenteritis were excreting Cryptosporidium oocysts. Children were more commonly infected with Cryptosporidium (4.8%) than were adults (1.6%). The prevalence of infection was higher (7%) during the summer period of February-May 1981 than in the remainder of the observation period to the beginning of June 1982 (1.9%). The most common clinical manifestation of gastroenteritis in Cryptosporidium-infected patients was diarrhea, lasting from 3 to over 14 days, accompanied by vomiting, anorexia, and abdominal pain. The results show that a small proportion of patients with gastroenteritis are infected with Cryptosporidium, and the importance of the infection needs to be examined.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D003044:Coccidia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D012621:Seasons