title: Incidence of cryptosporidiosis in immunodeficient cancer patients in Egypt.
abstract: A coproprotozoal study was carried out on 63 patients suffering from malignancy. The majority had cancer of haemopoietic system. All patients were under chemotherapy and included: Group A (33 children) and Group B (30 adults) of whom 20 immunocompetent diarrhoeic patients of matched age and sex were considered as controls. Stool samples were examined by merthiolate iodine-formaldehyde concentration technique (MIF). Modified Zeihl-Neelsen (ZN) stain was performed for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Detection of Cryptosporidium coproantigen by enzyme-linked immunoassay test (Ridascreen test), was used. Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgE & IgA), C3, C4 and CD4:CD8 ratio, were measured. According to their levels 25 out of 63 patients had both humoral and cellular immunodeficiency. The incidence of Cryptosporidium in cancer patients was 23.8%, while it was 37.7% and 91% in children and adults immunodeficient patients, respectively. ZN stain was able in diagnosed Cryptosporidium in 13 out of 35 immunodeficient cases while ELISA detected only 11 cases. Cryptosporidium infection in immunodeficient cancer patients had significantly more frequent and prolonged duration of diarrhoea than in negative ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: Soad I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Hoda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sabry
authors.forename: Neimat M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Amer
authors.forename: Maysa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shalaby
authors.forename: Nahed A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Hussien
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gaballah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology