title: Risk factors for Cryptosporidium diarrhea in early childhood: a case-control study from Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.
abstract: Cryptosporidium is increasingly recognized as an important agent of diarrhea in normal and immunocompromised humans. In young children in developing countries the parasite is a cause of persistent diarrhea with an associated excess mortality. To elucidate possible determinants of cryptosporidiosis, an open cohort of young children from a semiurban area of the capital of Guinea-Bissau was followed for 2 years. Data about possible risk factors were recorded each month, and a nested case-control study of 125 children with Cryptosporidium diarrhea and an equal number of matched controls was conducted. The following risk factors were identified by conditional multiple logistic regression: keeping of pigs (odds ratio (OR) = 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-4.7) and dogs (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.0-4.2) in the household, storage of cooked food for later consumption (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.0-3.3), and child's sex (OR for boys = 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.4). Breast feeding was protective (OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-1.1). The findings provide clues for interventions against this major cause of childhood diarrhea and give suggestions for further studies.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Research Unit, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mølbak
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aaby
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Højlyng
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016785:Cryptosporidium parvum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D006169:Guinea-Bissau / Q000453:epidemiology; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014881:Water Supply