title: Interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and lactoferrin in immunocompetent hosts with experimental and Brazilian children with acquired cryptosporidiosis.
abstract: To examine the importance of intestinal inflammation in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of human cryptosporidiosis, stools of healthy adult volunteers before and after experimental infection were tested for fecal lactoferrin, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Stool samples of Brazilian children with well-defined Cryptosporidium infection, with or without diarrhea, were also tested for IL-8 and TNF-alpha. Only one of the 14 volunteers challenged with Cryptosporidium had increased fecal lactoferrin. However, of 17 stool specimens from children with only Cryptosporidium infection from a previous study, 12 had mild to moderately elevated lactoferrin despite negative work-up for inflammatory enteritides. One of 10 adult volunteers who developed diarrhea with experimental cryptosporidiosis and three of 11 children with cryptosporidiosis and diarrhea had detectable fecal IL-8. The level of TNF-alpha was increased only in one of 14 volunteers and in none of the children. Although considered relatively non-inflammatory. cryptosporidiosis is often associated with mild inflammation, especially in children in an endemic area.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geographic and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Cirle S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Alcantara
authors.forename: Chang-Hun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Theodore S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Leah J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Aldo A M
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Cynthia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chappell
authors.forename: Pablo C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Okhuysen
authors.forename: A Clinton
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Guerrant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007781:Lactoferrin