title: Prevalence of intestinal infection due to Cryptosporidium species among Taiwanese patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cryptosporidiosis causes significant morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who do not receive highly active antiretroviral therapy. Related data on cryptosporidiosis in Taiwanese HIV-infected patients are very limited. This study assessed the prevalence of intestinal infection due to Cryptosporidium spp. among Taiwanese patients with HIV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective review included 1044 patients with HIV infection treated between June 1994 and June 2004. Intestinal colonization due to Cryptosporidium spp. was identified by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism of stool specimens collected from 332 of the HIV-infected patients without gastrointestinal symptoms, 90% of whom were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five out of 1044 (0.5%) HIV-infected patients had a diagnosis of intestinal cryptosporidiosis by endoscopic biopsy or examinations of stool specimens. Intestinal colonization due to Cryptosporidium spp. was found in four of 332 (1.2%) asymptomatic HIV-infected patients between 2001 and 2003; two were due to C. hominis, and one each were due to C. felis and C. meleagridis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that the prevalence of intestinal colonization due to Cryptosporidium is low among HIV-infected patients in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. hcc0401@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chien-Ching
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tsaihong
authors.forename: Ya-Tien
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hung-Yin
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Wei-Hung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Sui-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shan-Chwen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kua-Eyre
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology